Back to School Recommendations

It’s that time of year again, a mixture of melancholy and relief. As a parent, it is hard to see the kids off to school when you’ve become accustomed to having them around during the day. The only process more grueling than mustering up fun activities for the summer, is preparing them for the inevitable first day back at school. To keep you and the kids organized, here are some tips that have served me well raising two boys, who kindly entrusted all their back to school planning to me through their formative years.

Resurrect Old Routines:

To ensure napping is not on the schedule during fourth period algebra, resurrecting old sleeping habits is vital to keep your child well rested, so they can perform well in the classroom. 

• Bedtime: Stipulating a firm bedtime will avoid the erratic sleep habits they tend to adopt over the summer. I found the best way for my children to relax enough to hunker down for the night, is after the pre bed routine, which consists of the 4 b’s, Bath, Brush, Book, Bed. The Bath is an excellent way to unwind, for adults too! Just remember to always monitor them while they’re in the tub. The Toothbrush is a salubrious tool for good gum health, thus is a great way to instill healthy habits. A book not only has its educational value, but it’s a good way to tire their brains at the end of the day, working wonders putting them to sleep.
• Study Time: Video Games are galvanizing for children during the summer, but without moderation during the school year, they can be a distraction. Before school starts, implement at least an hour every day for them to commit to a form of educational value, a great idea is documenting a journal, this allows them to improve in their reading and writing skills.
• Meal Times: Keeping a consistent schedule for meal times will allow them to adjust to the school’s instituted lunch periods, having breakfast, lunch, and dinner at consistent times will allow for study time and other activities they hope to fulfill during the day.

School Supplies:

If you’re still reading, you have obviously been blessed with the excursion of shopping for school supplies. Here are some tips to organize your game plan once you reach the chaotic front doors.

• Retrace Supplies: Shopping for supplies can be an expensive experience, confer with your children on what they have left from the year before prior to going shopping.
• Cost Effective: Keep an eye on the newspaper, as stores like to include incentives and coupons in the flyers, making the shop for supplies more cost effective. 
• Items of Value: The big shop will likely consist of the following items, Clothing, Stationary supplies, and food. Be sure to pick up all of these items the day of the big shop.

Visit Your Childs school website to confirm what time classes begin, run through what a typical daily schedule will be with your child, so there’re no surprises the first day of school. From The Williams Family, we hope your child or children have a wonderful first day back at school.