While many parents are glad that school time is just around the corner, it can be a bittersweet time too! The casual days of summer often give way to the hectic pace of lunches, homework, paperwork, backpacks, extra activities…the list goes on and on. Today, the Early Childhood Education Team is offering Back to School Tips, Tricks, and Activities to help get kids (and parents) off to a great start!
Back to School Tips for Parents!
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- Allow young children to make as many age-appropriate decisions as possible. To avoid last minute melt-downs, offer children choices within a LIMITED range. For example: “Would you like to brush your teeth after breakfast or after you get everything ready for school?” We are not negotiating brushing teeth, we are just allowing SOME choice and personal decision-making opportunities. By limiting options, we also allow kids the flexibility to choose without being overwhelmed by too many choices.
- Stock up on school supplies while sales are on and prices are low.
- Where possible, invest in the best quality backpack you can afford for your child. It will save running out at the last minute to get a new one when the straps break (backpacks take a LOT of wear and tear)! Try to avoid getting miniature backpacks as some picture books, artwork, etc. will not fit inside the smaller ones.
- For young children, consider whether or not the snaps and buttons on new clothes are possible for tiny fingers. If your child cannot snap or button by themselves, leave that article of clothing until later as skills grow. Try to help young children gain independent bathroom skills before school starts. Visit a public restroom and see if your child can get the paper off the roll. Commercial dispensers are often different than the ones at home. 🙂
- Establish a “homework contract” for older kids. Decide when the best time to complete reading and additional homework will be. Make sure kids know that doing homework should be a priority after-school when possible.
- Decide on family rules for digital games, phones, TV, computers, and other sources of digital entertainment.
- Establish family rules for laundry and other household tasks. Even young kids can take responsibility for their personal belongings and age-appropriate chores.
- Label individual baskets for family members to assist in putting away their own clothes or personal items. Make folders or baskets for each child to contain paperwork, notes, PTO forms, school picture forms, fundraiser information, and other important items that need signed and returned to school.
- Set good bedtime routines. Adequate sleep is important not only for young kids, but for all members of the family!
PRINTABLE PENCIL TEMPLATE for NOTES from HOME to SCHOOL! – Pencil Lunchbox Notes Template
- Notes to your child: Yes, do it! Print the pencil template (linked above) for notes from home to your child. It is a simple way for young kids to connect with home during their school day!
- Establish a Morning Routine that your child can follow. For a free chart to visually help children with morning duties, print the one linked below.
VISUAL MORNING ROUTINE CHART – Visual Morning Routine
Directions: Print the Visual Morning Routine Cards (linked above), laminate or cover with clear contact paper, and invite kids to cut out the individual cards. The cards with text can be mounted to heavy paper, a bulletin board, or used on the refrigerator at home (just place craft magnets on the back of the cards).
The cards will serve as a visual morning routine reminder for kids. Kids can clothespin clip the matching picture cards together as that specific task is completed for the morning. There is a blank card at the end of the file for additional morning tasks. The printable calendar can be used for accountability to check off each day that daily tasks are completed!
From all of the Early Childhood Education Team, we wish you and yours a successful start to a new school year!
For even MORE ways to PREPARE for BACK TO SCHOOL, please visit other Tips, Tricks, and Activities from the Early Childhood Education Team below!
Starting Kindergarten-Books and Activities by Capri + 3
Back to School: Starting Routines by Tiny Tots Adventures
Make Back to School Books to Ease the Transition by Fun-A-Day
4 Back to School Tips: Preparing for School by Learning 2 Walk
Preparing for Preschool: Creative Center in a Box by Powerful Mothering
How to Plan for Preschool at Home by Mom Inspired Life
Supporting preschool learning at home by Rainy Day Mum
Setting Literacy Goals by Growing Book by Book
Preparing Busy Boxes for Preschoolers by Munchkins and Moms
Preparing a Hands-On Preschool at Home by Life Over C’s
Traditional Preschool or Homeschool Preschool or Both? by Still Playing School
Teaching Preschool at Home by Raising Lifelong Learners
Preparing for School Brings Mixed Emotions for both Parents and Children by The Educators’ Spin On It
It is SO true about the choices. We ask – do you want to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt. Limiting helps us minimize melt downs!
I love the school supply tip. I like to buy lots of extra school supplies and save them for after Christmas when things need to be replenished. It’s so much cheaper to buy and store!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! We just started school yesterday.
I hadn’t even considered the commercial toilet paper dispenser thing! And those papers are usually so thin that just telling my son to take 3 or 4 squares might not work (as there are no squares on most commercial paper!) All great tips here!
Visuals work so well with my girls. I like that after doing the routine for so long that we don’t check it. Then when something starts to go hectic we refer to the visual and normally it’s something that we have just stopped doing that messes with everything else.
What a fantastic printable!
Great tips! There are so many I would never have thought of. Love the chart too! We made one last year and pulled it out to use again this school year. It is so helpful for my son to see what he needs to do and check it off as he goes. It keeps me from having to constantly give instructions and check for follow-through.
We offer choices and it is very effective! I would not have thought about backpack straps breaking with all the wear and tear but that makes sense! Thanks for all the great tips.
Love the idea of writing a personal note of encouragement.
Yes! Limited choices, empowerment, and prep makes for success!
So many great tips here! I completely agree about stocking up on the supplies while they’re on sale. Then you have them on-hand when the school needs more! And great comment about considering the kids’ clothes – definitely want to ensure the children can get in and out of their clothes as easily as possible when they need to use the restroom.
Love these tips!
Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the new preschool season
Great resources I will be sharing with my team of teaching teams as well as my colleagues.
I’m new to blogging trying to figure this all out