It’s that time again. School supply, new clothes and schedule changes. During the summer months when most of the time is all for fun, it can be hard to think about preparing your children/child for the next school year. No one likes winding down from summer break, especially your student(s) but by making preparations at least two weeks before the new school year can help make the transition as easy as possible. Here are a few tips that may help you and your child prepare:
· Gather school supplies from last year to help with your current shopping list. Reuse as much as possible. Check with your school’s website to find the school supply list and go shopping early.
· Get back into the habit of getting to sleep at a reasonable time and also waking up on time. If you start two weeks in advance or maybe even sooner depending on how much time you think your child needs, you can look forward to calm mornings.
· Go through their closets and make sure all their clothes and shoes still fit. If not donate them (Goodwill has a program for clothes that have stains) Separate the school clothes from the play clothes.
· Create a comfortable workspace. Have the kids participate in this area so they will feel ownership in keeping it clean and organized. Some children concentrate better in their room as others prefer the kitchen table. Be sure to consider different learning styles.
· Label all the containers, this also helps with reading and accountability.
· Make sure there is adequate lighting.
· Create a schedule for your expectations. From the time the child gets home from school. Although you may have an idea of what you want to happen. Get input from the little ones, again this helps with decision making skills and ownership.
· Do you have a family calendar? A dry erase board may be perfect for your family. If you need other suggestions feel free to contact Dayna-Rae.
· If your children participate (in a small way) by making their own lunch the odds of them actually eating it is much higher.
· Get a decorative box, bin or folder for your children’s graded homework or art. Keep it in one place so there are no questions when you need to find something. You can review the box and recycle quarterly.
These are some of the basic tips that can be extremely helpful in preparing your child for the school year. Remember to have fun and take baby steps when changing your habits. If you would like more tips follow us on Facebook.
