Preparing For the Back to School Schedule
Advice
For most families, summer is a more relaxing time of year. There is
less rushing around and less to do in the mornings and in the
evenings. Overall, there is just less responsibility during the
summer. Back to School brings on a whole set of preparedness.
Below are some tips to better prepare your child and your family for
school:
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Sleeping. Start your child’s
school sleeping schedule early. Start a week before school
starts, putting him or her to bed 10 to 15 minutes earlier each
night and waking them earlier in the morning so their sleeping
schedule will be in place when school starts. Parents, adjust
your schedule as well. You will have more things to do in the
morning and will need to add at least 15 minutes to your morning
routine.
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Homework. Along with starting
the sleeping schedule in advance, get your household ready for
homework time. A week before school starts, set 20 minutes aside
each evening for reading or playing an educational game.
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Lunch. Decide before school
starts what is going to happen for lunch. Will your child be
packing her lunch or will she be buying school lunches? If she
is packing her lunch, prepare in advance. Pack lunch the night
before. If you have older children, assign lunch duty for the
week, and alternate. If your child is buying school lunch, find
out the process for putting money in her school lunch
account, set this up so she is ready to go for the first day
of school.
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The Night Before. I
know, this is easier said than done, but it will be a tremendous
help to prepare the night before. Have your child lay out her
outfit the night before and have her set her books, homework,
and other school materials in a designated area every evening,
so she isn’t rushing in the morning searching for her socks,
shoes, books, and homework.
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Breakfast.
Set
your breakfast “stage” the night before. Know what you are going
to have for breakfast and set out the dry cereals and dishes
that will be used. Arrange the refrigerated breakfast items so
that they are easily-accessible and ready to be used in the
morning. The little things make a huge difference. This can also
be another assignment shared by the family, rotating
week-by-week.
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Contact Information. Teach
your child his contact information. Make sure he can recite the
home address, home phone number, and cell phone numbers. Make
sure he knows the name of your place of work. Refresh what you
have taught him about the difference between strangers and
trusted adults, like teachers and police officers. Review the
911 emergency process.
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"Back to School" question to Kori Wilson.
Tips & Advice
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