How to Get Your Child Ready for Back-to-School

As Labor Day approaches, the first day of school and the shift back to the regular routine is on every parent’s mind. Transitioning your child from the easy days of summer to spending most of their day in the classroom can be a stressful experience. Read our tips to learn how you can make the back-to-school transition easier on both you and your child.

Plan Ahead

Begin changing your child’s bedtime and wake-up times a week or two before school starts to help get them back into the routine. Try to get your child to get ready for bed at the same time each night, and wake them up at the time they normally will get up for school. Go through the regular morning routine, including eating breakfast and getting dressed, so your child gets used to how quickly they need to get ready in the morning. When school starts, there are several things you can do to help speed up the getting ready process. Try setting out your child’s clothes, shoes, and school bag the night before. You can also set the table for breakfast and set out any food that does not need to be refrigerated, like cereal. If your child takes a packed lunch, making it the night before can leave you with one less thing to do in the morning.

Get Ready

Taking your child shopping for new school clothes and supplies is a great way to get them excited for back-to-school. If your child is young, you can use this as a reminder that school will be starting soon and summer vacation is almost over. This is also a good time of the year for your child to visit their doctor to get any required vaccinations, as well as visit the optometrist to check your child’s eyesight. Fitting reading, writing, and arithmetic into your summer vacation can also help your child retain what they learned at school last year so they are able to start the new school year feeling confident. If your child is old enough, back-to-school time is the perfect opportunity to review expectations and set academic goals.

Don’t Stress

Going back to school can be an anxious experience for some children. Monitor your child as they go back to school and look for signs of stress, like frequent complaints of stomach aches or headaches. Reassuring your child and giving them extra one-on-one time eases stress for most children. Simply tucking a picture or note into your child’s lunch may also help.