It’s August, and most kids and parents know what that means. Unfortunately, time goes on, and summer is coming to an end. The end of summer means the beginning of autumn and the beginning of school. How do you prepare them and make the switch from a carefree summer time lifestyle to the more rigid schedule that the school year brings?
Here are some tips that might help that transition go a little easier:
1. Go shopping for school supplies together
Shiny new binders and colorful pens, markers and pencils can make the thought of school just a bit more bearable. Have fun walking through the back to school aisles at your local supermarkets or department stores while talking about what they might need or want.
2. Depending on your budget, this would be a good time for some new clothes
Some children can grow faster than the summer weeds and grasses. Call the new attire school clothes to give it a positive twist for the inevitable start of the academic year. If on a limited budget, don’t forget your local thrift and Salvation Army stores. You may be surprised at some like new name brand clothing and shoe hidden treasures found there at a fraction of the price. No one will know the difference anyway when your child shows up for school dressed classy.
3. Slowly start having your kids go to bed a little earlier each night
Unless you are in favor of the cold turkey way, why not transition them to an earlier bed time by setting 5 minutes early to bed per night rule. Before you know it, they will be on the school bedtime schedule without the harsh reality of going to bed an hour or so earlier all at once.
4. Have a Back to School Party
This can be an excellent way to celebrate the beginning of a new academic year. Have a water fight or buy a cake to celebrate the occasion. In my household, we take a camping trip. Well, ok because we live on a farm and can’t abandon the animals, our camping trip/party is about 200 feet out from the house. We call it the back to school camping trip, complete with popcorn, marshmallows, and sleeping the night in a tent.
5. For home schoolers, pick out your curriculum together
If you are a home school family that buys some new books each year or maybe even a whole boxed curriculum, enjoy picking out your books together. At our house, when the books arrive, we lay all the books out and enjoy just perusing through the book photos and reading captions.
6. Take some pictures
Don’t forget to take that back to school photo so that you can compare it with a new photo you take at the end of the year. It’s fun to look at the pictures and see how much your children have grown.
7. Take an extra outing or two
Go on a picnic or plan a day at the lake before the rigorous schedule of school begins. It will be beneficial for both kids and parents alike to get rested up and enjoy some time together so that, when the first day hits, you will all be refreshed and ready for it.
8. Plan some dinners or snacks ahead of time
If your children pack their lunches, start getting healthy meals planned or even prepared ahead of time. By doing it early, it will make that first week so much less stressful. Dinners can even be prepared and frozen ready for the crock pot or meals ready to be put in the oven.
9. Organize
This is a perfect time to clean and organize. A new season of life, a new season of the year is about to begin. It feels good to change some furniture around or add that new table cloth and fall plant to the dining room. If you are a home school family, this is a perfect time to organize school supplies. It’s fun to start with a clean and well-organized classroom or dining room table area. We like to buy a pretty new table cloth and potted flower for our school room.
These were just some tips to help prepare your household for the transition from summer to a school schedule. Be creative and do all you can to prepare ahead of time. It will make that first week of school so much more enjoyable. If you have any additional tips, let us know in the comments below!
