Back to School

Back-to-school is always a complicated time of year for families. Everyone is on varying levels of looking forward to it or dreading going back. Often, it’s a mix of both! And since this transition is something that we must do every single year, it’s a good idea to seek out some strategies to help make things go as smoothly as possible.

Smoothing out the Logistics

Don’t wait until the last minute to figure out what your school day as a family will resemble. Make sure that everyone is on the same page beforehand. Your kids will enjoy the comfort of knowing their days are planned. They will want to know who is dropping them off, who is picking them up and what will happen when they get home.

This calendaring is also your chance to optimize your own schedule and create a better routine. Plan out your days in a way that will optimize your time. Back-to-school can be a very productive time for the whole family.

It may also be helpful to minimize the extracurriculars in the fall as everyone adjusts their schedules. Early mornings and long days of learning can make for some very tired kids, so you may not want to add in extras until you’re sure that your child is up for it.

Addressing Any Worries

Too often, kids worry in silence without bringing their concerns to their parents. It’s our job as parents to check in with them and help them express things that they might be worried about or even have questions about. There are many unknowns when heading into a new school year, but many of those questions, worries and potential problems have answers and solutions.

It can be helpful to involve your child in coming up with solutions for their concerns. If he’s worried about making friends, you can brainstorm some fun stories and conversation starters that he could use to connect with new classmates. If she’s worried about her teacher, maybe you could both write an introductory email asking the teacher for three favorite things as a way to make the new teacher seem friendly and human.

While many of your child’s concerns might seem small or trivial, it does not feel that way to them!

Highlighting the Positives

As adults, it can be tough to go back to work after a week vacation, so imagine what it’s like for kids after having the whole summer off. They don’t want to go back to their “jobs,” and it can result in a lot of negative emotions, which is why it’s important to highlight the positives.

Try these conversation openers – Which friends are you excited to see? What art projects do you think you’ll get to do this year? What is something that you really want to learn about this year in school?

It’s important to remind our children of all of the benefits of school. It can be fun for them to relive past years and see how far they’ve come.

Working on Sleep Schedules

Long summer days with plenty of sunshine are wonderful, and so are the late evening festivities. But all of these fun summer nights can lead to a rude awakening once the school year starts. Late nights don’t work as well for kids with a full day of school ahead of them.

It’s important to start adjusting sleep schedules gradually as you get closer to the beginning of the school year. You can’t expect your child to adapt overnight. You don’t need the schedule to be the same as the school year, and you don’t need to be super rigid. But it can be helpful to start making bedtime a bit earlier and setting alarms earlier each morning until you get to a point where you are close to a realistic schedule for the school year.

Summer’s Not Over Yet!

Partway through the summer, we already start to be bombarded with back-to-school advertising. Store shelves switch from beach towels and sand toys to backpacks and pencils super early, which can be a real downer for kids and parents.

Despite all the buzz, it’s important to be realistic about the time that you do have left in the summer. And your kids will appreciate you acknowledging that, sharing it with them and helping them make the most of it.

What fun activities and adventures can you plan toward the end of the summer break to make sure you feel like you are making the most of every day? What are a few of those items on your kids’ bucket lists that you want to make sure you squeeze in before school is back in session? And equally important, what would you all find relaxing and restorative so that you can start the school year in the best way possible?

So, while the end of summer often comes with mixed emotions, there are ways to help ease the transition. Hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and get to tackle back-to-school season with a renewed energy!