More back-to-school prep tips for parents and kids

Familiarize yourself – and your child – with the school

As a teacher, I loved meeting my kids before the school year started, and I loved, loved, loved when kids came prepared for the first day. The goal of parenting school-aged children should be to make them as independent as possible. Here’s list of things your kids can do to gear up for the new school year.

  • Visit the school or school website This is especially important if this will be a new school for your child. Regardless, most teachers have their own web pages now. You may find a reading assignment, school supply list or a syllabus for the upcoming school year. You can help younger children find their teacher’s name, write down room numbers and find out how to contact the teacher. Learning how to do research online is an oh-so-important skill and it’s never too early to start.
  • Send an e-mail to the teacher(s) After visiting the school website, you may have found your teacher’s e-mail address. Learning to write an e-mail is a great writing assignment for the summer, not to mention a great way to start off on the right foot with your new teacher. If your child is old enough to write a sentence or two, now would be a great time to open an e-mail account (be sure to keep the password so that you can supervise), so that they can learn how to communicate with his or her teacher independently. Not only do teachers love a proactive pupil, this assignment will prepare your son or daughter by teaching them that they can contact their teacher during the school year if they have homework questions, or if they will be absent from school.
  • Shop for school supplies Take them to the store and let them pick out backpacks, lunch boxes, cool pencils, the markers of their choice, etc. If it’s in the budget, a new, “first day of school outfit” of their choice can help build positive anticipation, too. Let them get excited about their stuff and about returning to school! When they get home, put them in charge of writing their name on everything and organizing their new backpack with all of the items on their teacher’s school supply list. Note: if you didn’t receive a supply list in the mail, have your child e-mail their teacher to ask what supplies they will need and how they should organize their binders.
  • Do a trial run Timing is everything. Many teachers will take points off your child’s grade if he/she is late. Even if you drive your kids to school, make sure you know the best routes, how to enter the school parking lot, and where parent pick-up/drop-off is. (It’s easier to find these things when there aren’t 400 families rushing in, 10 minutes before the first bell on the first day of school). If you are prepared, you can often beat the traffic. If taking the bus, time how long it takes to walk to the bus stop and show your child where they will be picked up and dropped off each day. Have your child tour the campus, too. If they’re little, make sure they can find the bathroom, the office and the lunchroom. If they are older, make sure they can find each of their classes, especially if this will be the first year they are changing classes each hour. Finally, don’t forget to practice that locker combination.

– Jaclyn Hernandez

Routines, routines, routines

School success is as much about emotional readiness, confidence, and excitement for learning. Here are couple ways to build those qualities in your young learner:

  • Practice routines One of the biggest challenges for young children starting school or returning after the summer is the return to structured routines. Their school day is scheduled and full of transitions. Your child can benefit from a little practice now in navigating transitions and approaching activities with persistence and attentiveness. Consider creating a basic picture schedule for the day with simple drawings or icons representing the key elements: breakfast, brushing teeth, outdoor play, rest, baths, etc. You don’t need times connected with the activities – young children benefit most from just the simple experience of seeing and talking about a sequence of activities and being able to prepare for what comes next.
  • Talk about your day Each time you talk with your child about what you’ll do first, next and last during the day, or recap and chat about the day at bedtime, you help them develop important sequencing and other emergent literacy skills by.
  • Build attention span Help your child prepare for the expectation of listening and participating with the group by building their “engagement endurance.” Try introducing a slightly longer picture book and celebrate when your child sits with you for the full duration. You might even “play school” when you share books together by inviting your child to sit facing you and holding the book up while you read. Then trade places. Invite your child to be the teacher and show the book to you. You can also help grow your child’s attention span for school success by giving your child multi-step directions and coaching them through the completion of the tasks. Make it fun – and watch your child rise to the challenge of more complex directions.
  • Share excitement Be sure to talk cheerfully about all the fun that’s to be had at school – friends, snack, new games, new books – but try not to tell your child how they will feel. Instead of assuring them, “You’ll love your teacher!” try mentioning features of their classroom that you know will appeal to your child but that allow your child to choose their own feelings. Note: this is a great time to incorporate photos you may have taken on a tour visit to their classroom: “Your classroom will have lots of books that we don’t have at home.” “There are easels for painting, if you choose.” “When you come in, there is a hook with your name on it to hang up your jacket. Let’s practice that at home so you’ll be ready!”
  • Be prepared Now’s the time to break the summer sleep-in/stay-up late mode. Take the next few weeks to adjust your family’s nighttime and morning schedules by slowly adjusting bedtimes and wakeup times a few minutes every day until you reach your goal. Be prepared for all the organization that school days require, too. Choose a special place in your house to place items that your little scholar will be taking to school, and consider inviting them to decorate or label that spot. Bring out the new school bag, and play with your child to practice packing and unpacking it.

– Sarah Brenkert

Editor’s note: Get more back-to-school prep tips from our experts.

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