Back to School

Happy New Year! Is it just me or 2022 seems to already have a lot of pressure and to-dos? Feels like this year, we had to hit the ground running. Anyway…

The holiday season is officially over (Don’t ask: ‘What about Constitution Day?’. 😏) Although most schools do not resume till next week, some schools are already back in session (no wonder it feels like the holiday traffic is just picking up from where it left off 😓). Returning to your pre-holiday routine and getting your child ready to go back to school is not as easy as wake them up, dress them up, drop them off. From making sure tuition fees are paid on time, to stocking up on school supplies and checking to make sure you got everything, the process can be quite stressful.

If your kids have been in full holiday mode, getting them to switch back to school mode can be challenging. As my ’40-year-old’ preschooler said during the holidays: “…we are having a party. Everybody is having a party!”. Well, the party is over and now it is time for serious business. But how do you make the switch without breaking down in the process? Here are a few things that work for me;

Talk it over. Have a conversation with your child and inform him/her that school is about to resume. Remind them of the routine for when school is in session, and what your expectations are; what you expect when it’s time to wake up, what you expect at bedtime, all of it.

Go back to your old ways. (I know how that sounds🤣🤭). Incorporate some things from your regular routine into your final days at home before school resumes. Breakfast time, wake up time, bedtime are a good start.

Bedtime. If you made any changes to bedtime like we did, it would be good to revert to bedtime for school nights to help them start to revert their sleep pattern to what it was before.

Include attention-building activities in their routine. If your child has had more screen time than usual during this season, now would be a good time to include more attention-building activities into their schedule and limit screen time significantly. Screen time tends to affect the attention span of children, leaving them distracted. Encourage time for some colouring, building blocks, counting, math practice, reading or writing practice (Am I the only one who had a different/ funny handwriting after every school break growing up?😂).

Plan meals. Having a plan for school lunch and dinner for the week can take off a lot of the pressure in your already busy schedule. You can make a list of easy-to-make meals and meal prep over the weekend.

Reminders. Remind your child about COVID safety protocols to observe whilst in school. This is also a good time to remind your child to play nice in school, listen to their teachers, try their hands at school work before they decide if it’s too challenging for them, and everything else.

Make a checklist. Make a list of everything that needs to be done or stocked up. Do a mental run through of what school mornings are like and confirm if you have everything needed for each stage; uniforms, socks, snacks, water bottle, everything.

Pray. Say a prayer for your child before you send them back to school. Any challenges from the previous term or semester, any blessing you have for them, or any behaviour you would like them to pick up or not exhibit, pray it. Speak it over their lives. Try to do this daily and watch them happen.

School reopening is good news for most parents but it can be stressful getting your child to adjust. The best time to get your child ready is well-ahead of reopening day. It’s a great thing there’s a holiday weekend coming up to allow enough time to switch things over and settle in.

Click on the link below to download my free Back-to-School Checklist. All the best! Happy Constitution Day!