With summer nearly over, it’s time to start thinking about school. Here are 10 ways that you can prepare your family for the start of another awesome school year…
Photo courtesy of Element5 DigitalNew beginnings can be fun, but also nerve-wracking. New jobs, new cities… even new school years. I can remember many a night before the first day back to school—picking out my outfit, checking my supplies, setting an alarm. Preparing and planning.
Now as a mother to a handful of students, I want to prepare them and help them prepare themselves for an awesome school year. While three of my kids are homeschooled, one is not, so getting our family ready is a two-pronged approach.
But despite the slight differences, all of my kids need the same things to get them ready to head back for another year of learning.
I’m sure that you’re getting things in order in your own home for this coming fall. But if you’re wondering where to start, or want to make sure you don’t miss anything important, I’ll share the 10 ways that I prepare for the new school year.
10 Ways to Prepare for an Awesome School Year
Prepare your kids mentally
Starting back to school can be jarring after the freedom of summer vacation. A return to routines and time commitments can be an unwelcome change after the seemingly endless days of June through August.
The best way to prepare your kids for school is to gently remind them that it’s coming. Start a fun countdown ritual. Casually refer to it in conversation. Make note of some interesting aspects of the new school year that will create anticipation for your older kids (who are usually the ones who look forward to harder classes the least).
My son needs to be talked up quite a bit about school to get him excited to go. We all try to build the happy anticipation, so when the bus pulls up, he’s ready to jump on, not cling to my legs. Like many things, preparation is mostly mental.
Stock up on supplies
August offers some amazing sales on school supplies. Now would be a good time to start gathering what your kids’ teachers have requested and also creating a stockpile for yourself. Mid-year prices are not nearly so low, so get your supplies when they’re cheap.
For more on how to frugally prep for a new school year, check out this post: How to Budget for the New School Year
Inventory your kids’ clothes
Okay, if you are anything like me, then you let your kids’ grooming standards slide a little in the summer. Shirt has a tomato sauce stain on it? No problem. One flip flop is red and one is blue? Sure, why not. Hair hanging over his ears? Spray bottle + comb = good to go.
Now would be a good time to go through your children’s clothes and weed out the worst offenders. This way, when you are rushing to get everyone ready on an early school morning, the tomato-sauce-shirt isn’t sent off on the bus.
Prep weekday clothes
I swear by this and do it year round to save me grief. When I fold my kids’ laundry, I put their clothes together as outfits—shorts, t-shirt, socks, and undies. I then place a week’s worth of outfits on a designated shelf, to be grabbed from each morning.
This system works because my kids can choose from a limited selection (too many choices leads to wasted time) and they have everything they need all ready to go.
For older children, I’d suggest helping them do this for their own clothes. This gives them the independence of making up their own ensembles, but gives you the peace of mind in knowing that they have clothes ready each morning.
Get haircuts (and handle other grooming needs)
I cut my kids’ hair every month now, but in the past, I waited until something special was coming—school starting, Christmas, a family visit, the eclipse (ok, maybe not that one). With school around the corner, it’s best to take care of the family’s grooming needs now, before someone comes home with a school ID photo that looks like a mop was placed on their head.
Schedule any haircuts, dermatologist appointments, teeth cleanings, etc. that you’d prefer to have done before the crush of a new school year begins.
Get paperwork in order
If your child will be entering sports or a new school, consider getting their physical taken care of now. Also, make sure you have the proper documentation as far as vaccination records and anything else that might be needed by administration.
Being prepared with this stuff now will decrease your stress when the day comes and you’ve already got twenty things vying for your attention. Paperwork can be a pain, so having it sorted and organized is a great way to be prepared for the upcoming school year. Call the school office if you aren’t sure what you’ll need.
Set up a routine
Summers can be pretty idyllic and free for most kids, so getting back into the school routine can be hard. To lessen that stress, start setting up the school routine a few weeks before school actually begins.
This gives you time to iron out the kinks and help ease your kids back into more structured days. Get their input, too, especially when the school year starts. It could be that the afternoon snack isn’t necessary after a late lunch. Or that homework right after school is too soon following a long day in the classroom.
But set up a routine that will help your kids be more prepared for the coming school year. Trust me, it will make a huge difference when the alarm goes off that first morning.
Check out this post for tips on how to streamline your mornings: 8 Ways to Improve Your Mornings
Go to bed earlier
A lot of kids get later bedtimes during the summer. Who can blame them? It’s hard to sleep when the sun is still lighting the sky at 9pm. But sleep is incredibly important for growing children, especially during the school year.
The easiest and least painful way to put kids to bed earlier is to make the change incremental (this works well for adults, too). Put your children to bed 15 minutes earlier each night for the duration of the week before school starts, or however long you need to get them to the bedtime you prefer.
Slowly, their sleep cycles will alter, making them tired earlier and easier to rouse in the morning. Make sure they have a working alarm clock and know how to set it if they will be responsible for their own morning wake-up.
Prepare the night before
The night before is your last chance to prepare. So, make sure everything is out, ready, and planned for. Prep breakfast the night before to avoid either a nutritionally-lacking meal or wasting valuable time at the griddle in the morning.
Check out this post for ideas on make-ahead breakfasts: 5 Freezable Breakfasts That Will De-Stress Your Mornings
Once the kids are prepped and in bed, take some time to get yourself ready. Although you were probably not on a summer vacation along with your children, having to handle their morning schedule as well as your own could leave you feeling frazzled and unprepared.
So, set the coffee timer, pick out your outfit, and set out what you need to grab before you head out the door. You’ll be glad you did.
Remind them that they are loved
I always pray over my kids on the first day of school. When they went to regular school, I prayed for a good teacher, that they’d make friends, and that God would keep them safe.
I would also slip little notes into their lunches or backpacks. Something inspirational or loving. Something to let them know that after 2+ months of having them at home with me, I’d be missing them while they were gone.
No matter what might be stressing you out on the first day of school, make sure that the last thing you say before your child heads off is “I love you.” There is nothing that will make their day better than knowing that you will be excitedly waiting to hear all about it that night.
I hope this list will help you prepare your family for an awesome school year. While this can be a hectic time, it’s also an exciting one. There are so many ways to prepare our kids for this new stage of their lives. It just takes a little planning and intention on our parts.
What do you do to prepare for the new school year? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
Interested in more on time management and parenting? Check out these posts:
10 Healthy After School Snacks for Hungry Kids
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