Prep Your Kid for Going Back to School
Back to life. Back to reality. After a summer full of sleeping in and water fights, it's time to head back to school. Use these tips to get your kid (and yourself) ready for the reality of another school year.
- Start talking to your kid about school early. If you can, attend the school's open house or arrange a tour so your kid can start getting used to the idea.
- Practice your child's route to school (whether it's in your car, on foot or on the city bus) together.
- About two weeks before school starts, start going to bed—and getting up—a little earlier.
- Take your kid on a special back-to-school outing to pick out school supplies and discuss your expectations for the year.
- Set up a school-morning routine (for example, comb hair before Froot Loops) that gets your kids out the door—dressed and ready—on time. Do several practice runs.
- Set up a school-night routine that includes homework time ... and downtime.
- Take your kid grocery shopping to pick out healthy lunch and snack foods (if they pick it, they're more likely to eat it).
- Help your kid develop an organizational system (binder, notebooks, etc.).
- Sit down together and set some goals for the year. Talk about your expectations for grades and behavior.
- Dust off some favorite novels and spend some time each day reading together to get back in school mode.
Submit!
