2021-2022 School Year, here we come...
Summer can be so much fun! Children get to enjoy long weekends, late nights, and lazy mornings. The warmer weather and fewer enclosed gatherings can also give your child a break from exposure to germs. All of which can make the transition back-to-school tough.
We are sharing three areas to focus on as you prepare, all of which have a handful of ideas to help your kids feel ready for increased activity, longer days and increased mental stimulation. After following these tips, you and your child will feel ready for school to start!
Schedule
Having your and your children’s schedules laid out and organized prior to the start date will decrease both of your anxieties.
Create something visible
Whether it be a dry erase board or a large paper calendar, have it in an area of your house where the entire family can access it. Write out what that first month is going to look like with everyone’s different schedules.
Enroll in all Courses and Activities
Make sure to review your child’s school calendar and add any important dates to your calendar now. Also if he or she plays or participates in after school activities, check to see what this year’s plan is and get registered.
Paperwork
Review the school’s back-to-school checklist. Complete the list now if you can.
Make sure your child is healthy and ready to head back to school. Schedule all doctor and dental visits for this month if due.
Health
Despite the pandemic, it’s been a couple of months since your child has been exposed to the petri dish of other germs in person schooling can supply. You can do your best to be sure they are healthy before going back to school, but that doesn’t mean all the other children will be healthy as well. We have found that the following activities and proactive behavior can really help fight off potential germs spreading to them.
Tea Tree Oil
This is my secret ingredient for lice! Nobody has time to deal with lice! Buy a cheap spray bottle and fill it with water and a pharmaceutical-grade tea tree oil. Spray your child from head to toe, including their back back every morning before heading off to school. This effective essential oil deters lice from jumping (gross visual, I know) onto your him/her.
Increase Hand Washing
This one is pretty obvious, especially with how 2020 has been going, but re-explain the importance and make sure they are hand washing often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water! This is especially important before eating meals and snacks, both at school and at home. Another tip we like to encourage with our kiddos is encouragement of not touching their faces. Keeping hands in our laps and not near our eyes, nose, or mouth can help the spread of germs not only to our children, but to others as well!
Fish Oil
While we all try to continue reading and practice school work throughout the summers, it’s still usually not the same amount of mental stimulation children experience at school. Did you know that fish oil helps with cognitive development, memory and focus? Find a high-quality and good tasting liquid fish oil!
Up Bedtime Time Slowly
With summer BBQs and daylight savings time, children tend to go to bed a lot later in the summer months. This cannot be changed in one night. It will take time and the transition will be slow, but ensuring your child is getting enough sleep will be crucial for a smooth and happy transition. Start now. Discuss and decide on a time that will give them enough time to fall asleep and get enough sleep before waking for school. Create a plan with enough time to slowly move their current bedtime up by 15 minutes each night, leaving enough time with a week of sleep at their school bedtime.
Are you curious about some of the products mentioned above? I’ve been purchasing these brands since becoming a mom and absolutely love them! Not only are they high-quality, but affordable!
Organization
Who likes anxiety? We’re pretty sure no one answered ‘yes’! You don’t want this transition to be stressful on you or your child! You want to display excitement and confidence, so that he/she feels excited and confident too! Get organized now so you don’t feel the pressure of time and stress.
Set Out Clothing
We have been doing this for years and it has settled a lot of rushing and yelling in the mornings! Every Sunday night kiddos pick out all 5 of their outfits for the week, including accessories and shoes. This way, there is no time wasted deciding on what they like wearing that day! We look at the schedule and weather, we know what is coming up, and we plan our outfits. We also use a sweater/shoe organizer in the closet to nicely place an outfit for each day.
Time & Plan Meals
Create a system for writing out and planning what’s for dinner each night. Hint: I suggest a great app for this category but if you’re reading this, I’m hoping you already use Mindful Menu! Also, depending on school schedule and extra curricular activities, land on a time to eat breakfast every morning and dinner every night. Consistency is a big one here.
Supplies in Order
Get your school supplies early. It is something quick and easy to do and then you no longer have to look at it on your to do list or think about it! You can easily order these online if preferred to in person shopping.
Back to Reading & Routine
During the school year, we read a book every night before bedtime. I don’t know about your family, but that did not happen over the summer! We are usually rushing to bed because time got away from us because we were having too much fun. Getting back into routine, especially a bedtime routine will feel good. Dinner, family time, bath and brush hair and teeth, pick up house, reading and sleep!
Homework Location
Lastly, make sure your child has a comfortable location to focus if they will be schooling at home. This is also important for those returning to in-person learning so children can come home and have a special space to complete his or her homework in. You want this to be an exciting activity as well. If they have an enjoyable space to complete these tasks, it will help!
And that's all for today!
We hope you enjoy these tips and find them helpful! We hope for a successful transition and back to school experience. Cheers to a great year!
Love,
Pin the Blog!
Any/all of the links in this email are affiliate links of which How 2 Mom, LLC receives a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you whether it is an affiliate link or not, and using affiliate links helps us maintain our website and support our families. If you are going to purchase an item and would like to help support How 2 Mom’s mission (which we would be very grateful for!), links to many of the items we recommend can be found at our Shop page!