Back to School Tips for Parents and Families to Start the Year Off Right
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Take a deep breath, and get ready to start a fantastic new school year!
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When back-to-school time rolls around, parents feel the pressure increase. This is especially true if your child is starting school for the first time, and you’re not sure what to expect. (Chances are, things have changed quite a bit since you were in school.)
No worries! We’ve put together a big list of the best back to school tips for parents and families, so you’ll be ready to go when that first bell rings. For the ultimate back-to-school game plan, pair these tips with our free printable back-to-school checklists.
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Tip:
Help your child get back in the educational swing of things by playing ABCmouse free online learning games, designed by experts for kids in preschool through second grade!
While they brush up on their academic skills, you can peruse this list and start prepping for the first day of school.
Back-to-School Tips: Routines and Schedules
Establish consistent school routines, and begin practicing them around two weeks before the first day of school. This gets kids into the habit and helps families work out any kinks before school gets underway.
- Create a daily schedule, and review it with everyone. Visual schedules can help children (and parents) understand what to expect each day and prevent last-minute confusion.
- Post and maintain a dry-erase board calendar to coordinate everyone’s long-term schedules too.
- Establish a morning routine, encouraging kids to do things in the same order each day. This could include wake up, make bed, take a shower, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc.
- Start a school night routine as well: Lay out clothes, pack lunches, fill backpacks, and place them by the front door, and so on.
- Establish a routine for kids to follow when arriving home from school: Hang up coat, take off shoes, put backpack in homework corner, change school clothes, have a snack, 30 minutes of screen time, homework, help with dinner, etc.
- Rehearse transportation routines:
- If your child will walk or bike to school, do several practice runs together to see how long it takes and plan for inclement weather.
- If you’re driving them, work out the timing and route (remember to allow time for the drop-off/pick-up line). Review with your child who is allowed to pick them up after school, and go over any backup plans.
- Review bus schedules and visit your child’s bus stop. Discuss general bus safety rules.
- Practice lunchtime routines. School lunches are often shorter and filled with distractions. Some kids even forget or run out of time to eat! Set a timer for 20 minutes and practice unpacking and eating lunch, then repacking the lunchbox. Remind kids that lunchtime can be fun and relaxing, but nutrition comes first.
- To help routines stick, create checklists and slip them into plastic sheet protectors. Kids can check off the items with dry-erase markers as they complete them, then erase and start over the next day.
Back-to-School Tips: Healthy Personal Habits
Over the summer, sleep schedules tend to shift, mealtimes aren’t always regular, and kids spend more time playing on their own instead of following routines. It takes a bit to readjust once school starts up again.
Use these tips to start preparing kids in advance so they can maintain healthy habits during the year.
- Adjust sleep schedules gradually: Shift bedtimes earlier a week or two before school to ease into the new schedule. You can do this by as little as five minutes a day to make things easier.
- Plan meals together, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Strive to create menus that are nutritious and balanced, but also include things everyone will enjoy.
- Don’t skip breakfast! Plan quick and healthy meals at home, or participate in your school’s breakfast program if available.
- Teach your child to pack their own lunch. Very young kids can work with their parents, choosing foods and placing them in their lunchbox. By mid-elementary, kids can do a lot of this work themselves, including adding items to the grocery list when they’re running low.
- Create a healthy snacks bin. Growing and learning makes kids hungry! Choose easy, healthy snacks together that they can enjoy, and set rules about them (no snacks one hour before dinner, no sugary snacks before bed, etc.).
- Cut back on screen time. Your child probably had more free time for screens over the summer, but now’s the time to start cutting back to prepare for school-year limits. Tip: Reducing exposure to screens before bed can promote better sleep!
- Stay hydrated. Most schools permit kids to carry personal water bottles. Show your child how to clean and fill theirs, and remind them to drink regularly throughout the day.
- Encourage independence and problem-solving. Involve your child in choosing their school supplies, creating routines, and handling tasks like dressing themselves and taking care of hygiene. They’ll be expected to do things on their own in the classroom, so help them prepare now by entrusting them to complete age-appropriate tasks and chores to get ready for back to school.
- Promote a growth mindset. Remind them that school will be full of challenges and things they don’t know how to do … yet. Assure them it’s okay (and expected!) to make mistakes—that’s how we learn. Recognize their resilience when they persevere, and celebrate their efforts along with their accomplishments.
- Don’t be surprised when kids have more meltdowns than usual. Adjusting to new routines is exhausting and overwhelming at any age, and very young kids are still learning how to process their feelings. Hear them out, then see if they need more sleep, healthier foods, or some other type of support.
- Talk to kids about emotions and mental health from an early age. Be sure they know who to ask for help when they need it and that their family will always listen and support without judgment.
- Show your child how to set goals, like drinking a certain amount of water, reading a set number of pages, or spending a specific amount of time outside each day. Use habit trackers or star charts to help them stay on target.
Back-to-School Tips for Academic Success
Learning is what it’s all about! Here’s how you can provide your child support and guidance to help them succeed academically in the year ahead.
- Create a space just for homework and study, somewhere quiet enough for them to concentrate but with help nearby if they need it. Keep all the supplies and resources there they need, to eliminate the distraction of tracking down materials.
- When possible, try to set aside the same time for homework each day to make it part of the routine. Avoid the time right after kids get home from school, when they need room to relax and unwind (and may frequently have extracurricular activities), and don’t wait until right before bed either, or kids may have difficulty settling down to sleep. For many families, right after dinner is the perfect time.
- Whether or not your child has homework, set aside time nightly to read together. Experts recommend at least 20 minutes a day of reading time.
- For kids with a lot of assignments and activities to keep track of, show them how to use an academic calendar, planner, or scheduling app. The older they get, the more responsibility they should take for keeping track of what’s due when.
- Remember: Your child learns at their own pace. Don’t compare them to yourself at their age, their siblings, or even to fellow classmates. Be patient, and allow them space to make mistakes they can learn from. Talk to your child’s teachers if you have concerns about their progress, and praise their efforts and improvements instead of focusing only on grades.
- Check in with your child regularly to see how they feel about school in general. Try having a casual conversation with them on Sunday nights as you help clean out and reorganize their backpack for the week ahead. Make it a habit, and your child will feel comfortable sharing their concerns and achievements.
- Don’t wait for report cards! Learn how to check your child’s progress in the school’s online portal, so you can catch and address any problems early.
- Keep lines of communication open with your child’s teachers and school. Use the communication methods they prefer, and remember that teachers don’t work 24 hours a day, so you may need to be patient in hearing back from them. Involve your child in the discussion whenever you can, so they have a sense of ownership and autonomy.
- As kids get older, encourage them to talk directly with their teachers if they have questions, problems, or concerns. Parents can advocate for their children while teaching them the importance of speaking up for themselves.
Back-to-School Tips: Build Excitement and Address Anxieties
Going back to school can be exciting and scary all at once! Make sure your child knows it’s okay to have all sorts of feelings about the first day of school and talk about them together.
- Ask your child what they’re most looking forward to in school this year, and what they’re worried about or afraid of. Acknowledge their concerns, and help them see their challenges from new and encouraging angles. For example, if they’re worried about not knowing anyone in their classroom, remind them that it’s a chance to find new friends!
- Read back-to-school books together. Books can help children visualize and understand the school experience, especially those just starting for the first time.
- Role-play unfamiliar scenarios, such as asking for permission to go to the restroom, raising their hand to speak in class, riding the school bus, or talking to other students they don’t know yet.
- Visit the school or classroom. Familiarizing children with the environment can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed, and nearly all schools welcome families to visit ahead of time. Look for announcements about Meet the Teacher or Back to School events, or contact your school about the chance to visit quietly on your own if your child is very anxious.
- If your child hasn’t seen their school friends all summer, try to arrange a playdate with a few of them to help them get reacquainted before school starts again.
- Speak positively about school, learning, and teachers. Even if you didn’t love everything about school yourself, try to keep your attitude focused on the importance of education and how much fun school has the potential to be. Your child will take their cues from you, especially when they’re young, so set the right example.
- Encourage your child to talk to older children about their own experiences with a school, teacher, or learning experience. They can offer real perspectives on what to expect, and get your child excited about what’s to come.
- If your child is nervous about riding the bus or joining a carpool, try to find them a buddy so they’ll always have someone they know and can sit with or talk to.
- Volunteer in the classroom if your schedule allows or make a point to attend school functions, such as conferences or fun school functions. Consider joining and participating in the PTA/PTO. Being involved in the school community can show support for your child’s education and help you get a sense of what their day is like at school, as well as meet their classmates.
Organizational Back-to-School Tips
Once the school year kicks off, it seems to go like a whirlwind! Staying organized is key to helping everything go smoothly. Try these tips and tricks.
- Review the school calendar and mark key dates (like holidays or breaks) in your own personal calendars. Make note of regular or special early release days that can affect your schedule.
- Create a family calendar to track school events, assignments, and activities. (A large dry-erase board calendar is ideal.) Hang it in a central location and review it regularly.
- Choose a specific place in your child’s backpack where they’ll keep all the forms, flyers, permission slips, etc. they bring home from school. Then, designate a place at home where they’ll place these items as soon as they get home each day (such as a bin or bulletin board), and decide on a time when you’ll check and review them (right after dinner, for instance).
- Post important flyers and reminders on a family bulletin board. Look it over each night, and clean it off every weekend to make room for new papers and ensure nothing is forgotten.
- Create a “Launch Zone” by the front door where kids keep their coats, hats, shoes, backpacks, instruments, athletic gear, etc. Before kids go to bed each night, ensure everything they’ll need for the next day is in place, so they can just grab it and head out the door.
- Use color-coded sticky notes (one color per child) to post reminders in highly visible places, like bathroom mirrors or even inside their shoes!
- Organize school papers and notebooks by color: red for math, green for writing, orange for social studies, etc. (Some teachers have their own color-coded systems, so check with them first.)
- Set aside some weekend time to plan and do meal prep as a family. Get everyone involved in making menus, creating shopping lists, shopping for groceries, and prepping things in advance
Back-to-School Preparation Tips
The days leading up to the first day of school are full of all sorts of important tasks. We’ve highlighted some of the most important here, but you can also use our ultimate Back to School Checklist to make sure you don’t miss a thing!
- Attend orientation, meet-the-teacher nights, and back-to-school events, if offered. Bring a pen and notebook, plus any questions you have for the school or teachers.
- Sign up for school newsletters, apps, and communication platforms, and follow school, teacher, and classroom accounts on social media.
- Complete all registration and required forms early. These are usually available online in the school portal, so register there if necessary.
- Check in with the school about immunization and health requirements. Make appointments for your child to see the doctor and dentist in the month before school starts.
- As soon as your child’s school supply list is available, begin ordering or purchasing what you’ll need when prices are best. Watch for back to school sales and tax breaks, as well as charitable community events like Fill a Backpack.
- Take a complete inventory of your child’s clothes and shoes for the fall season. Shop early for any needed school clothes, uniforms, and shoes.
- Apply for the free/reduced lunch program, or load funds onto the school meal account.
- Don’t forget to budget for school fees, which can add up. Contact your school to get an estimated amount, and use the summer months to save up for what your child will need.
First Day of School Tips for Parents
The big day is here at last! Use these tips to help it go smoothly, and don’t forget to capture the memories!
- Stay calm and confident—even if your child is anxious. Sending kids off on their own is hard for many parents, but it’s important that your child sees your smiling face as they start their first day.
- Prep breakfast, pack lunches and backpacks, and lay out first-day-of school outfits the night before. Put a checklist on the inside of the front door so no one forgets anything.
- Plan some extra time the first morning, since everything is still a bit unfamiliar. This also gives you time for a first-day photo! (Consider making or printing out a “First Day of [grade]” sign for them to hold in advance.)
- Tuck a special note, joke, or snack into their lunch or backpack for them to find later in the day.
- Don’t get angry or impatient if kids cry or struggle. Provide reassurance, and promise that you’ll see them again soon and that they’ll have so much to tell you about their day.
- Plan a special dinner or after-school activity to celebrate their first day. This gives even the most nervous of kids something to look forward to!
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