I was asked by the wonderful Susan from Sonoran Living Live to come in for a segment to give helpful tips to parents to get their kids ready for back to school. The segment will air on Wednesday, August 5th. If you are a parent reading this, you will find fabulous tips to get your children in back to school mode! If you are a teacher reading this, you might want to use these tips to help your parents and students in your classroom.
To some children, back to school is the best time of the year. They embrace change, and they adjust to the new routine quickly. Some children won’t embrace change as easily as others. I believe every child needs structure and routine during the school year. As a teacher, I can always tell which children have more structure at home. So let’s go over some important things you can do before the school year starts to ensure your children have a running start at the beginning of the school year.
Get Your Children in Back to School Mode with Literature
There are so many great books that you can start reading with your children in the weeks leading up to school. Reading this kind of literature has many benefits for getting your children ready for school. It helps them to get into the back-to-school frame of mind, and it gets them used to the routine of reading each night. Hopefully, your children had lots of opportunities to read during the summer. However, if you took a short break from reading during the summer, this would be a great way to way to get it back into the daily routine. Below, you will find some of my back to school favorites.
Splat the Cat: Back to School, Splat!
This School Year Will Be the Best!
Curious George’s First Day of School
Create a Do It Yourself (DIY) Homework Station
Motivating children to get their homework can be a struggle. As a teacher, I can tell you that children respond better to tasks when they are given ownership. Whatever it may be, having a homework station can really help your children to take ownership of their own learning. Sometimes, having special writing utensils like mechanical pencils, gel pens, and highlighters might make all the difference. Now I understand that sometimes homework needs to be completed with a pencil, but you could allow your children to take notes, or make study tools using their favorite writing utensils. I have also included colored notecards, tape, scissors, glue, a notebook, a planner, and stickers. And this sterlite container was very inexpensive. Having a homework station does not mean you have to spend a lot of money. As a matter of fact, this one is fabulous because it is portable!
Start ‘School Schedule’ and Routines Before School Starts.
If school starts at 8:00, and your children are sleeping in until 9:00, the first week is going to be very rough. Start waking your children up as if they were on school schedule a couple weeks before school starts. This way, the sleeping patterns or issues that come up can be smoothed out before they start school. Have a routine for getting ready in the morning, and a routine for getting ready for bed. I created schedule cards that you can laminate so your children can use these as checklists during the morning and for bedtime. I laminated them, and there is a spot where they can check off the tasks as they go.
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Put Together an Inexpensive Back to School Teacher Appreciation Gift
So I speak on behalf of teachers when I say, the beginning of the school year takes so much preparation. Your teacher has spent countless hours getting his/her classroom ready for the students, and I can tell you the smallest things mean the most. I believe it creates a special connection between the teacher and the student right off the bat when they can bring a card, or a hand made gift to show appreciation for his/her teacher. I can see the excitement on the student’s face when they have something to give, especially if it comes from the heart. It doesn’t have to cost money. Let your teacher know you and your child appreciate him/her by making a card or putting together an inexpensive gift basket. Sometimes, the school has a list of the teacher’s favorite things. You could ask the front desk, and grab her favorite candy bar and a few goodies. Here is something I put together, and this all cost less than $5. I know teachers love chocolate and Twizzlers are always a favorite. I included stickers and sticky notes because they use these for the students. Sometimes you might not get a supply list, but I can tell you, teachers ALWAYS run out of glue sticks, and wipes for desks. Rest assured, these will be used for the students!
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