Sam's Blog - FEM:Family Events & More!

Back to School - Tips & Tricks!

9/27/2017

Back to School, the bittersweet phase that every mom goes through!

Making the transition can be quite a change and a challenge for both children and parents alike. Kids who loves to sleep in or going late to bed, the non-stop snacks and leisurely lunch that once was enjoyed whenever they like will now be replaced with a fixed schedule, not to mention endless homeworks after a long summer of laid back time!

Now it's time to focus on school, classes, and after-school activities, but going back to school doesn't have to be a struggling ordeal. So how to adjust to the first weeks during the Back to school period?

Sharing with you some of my personally acquired tips and tricks.

1- Physical checkup

It's very crucial for your little ones to start their school year on a healthy note. As with every end of summer rituals:

Stop going to the beach by mid of September (once the weather is a bit chilly to prevent catching any flu).
Take them for their full Dr. check-up appointment.
Have flu shot vaccines.
Last but not least; Do a dental check-up

2- Getting back on track

Start getting back on track once school is near. To help your little ones wake up earlier for school, consider each night (for a week or 2) making their bedtime routine a little bit earlier.

It's essential for kids (and parents) to get a healthy amount of sleep each night to stay focused throughout the day.

Sticking to a routine is very crucial, so don’t let weekends become late-night free-for-all. Limit screen time near bedtime, give them a warm bath, light healthy dinner, and finally share a fun bedtime story (it's an amazing tool to have quality bonding time with your little ones add up to enhance their vocabulary and listening skills)

Also, help your kids to stick to hygiene routines: Remind them to keep washing their hands (especially after every bathroom use), before and after eating, and to brush their teeth 3 times a day!

3- Preparing School items together

Last step to do before they start their school is let them involved in preparing their back to school list!

Pick their box, lunch box, water bottles, school bags and even name tags labels.
Allow the to place their name tags on each book. Also, let your pre-k children put stickers on their school box.

TRICK: Once they are involved they will start feeling that sending them to school is fun and not a punishment!

4 - Orientation Day

Believe it or not, Back-to-school season is stressful for children and their parents alike! However, too much stress can lead to a variety of health issues, such as insomnia and nervousness.

One of the easiest and simplest ways to help your child manage his/her stress is by attending their orientation day!

Even if you know the school, the classes, the teachers and the system, your child doesn't! Having both of their parents walking them into their new class, and checking everything together can ease the stress and even makes first day of school hassle-free.

Also, make sure you talk to your children about anything that's bothering or might bother them!

5- 1st day at school

Now that our children are a year older since last back-to-school season, it’s the perfect time to consider new chores or responsibilities they can do on their own.

The night before the school day we finalized all our books, placed our school bag at the door, filled out our water bottles, prepared lunch box together, and laid down our school uniform. WHY? Following previous years experience, doing all these regular tasks the night before school starts and not upon waking up gives you and your child more time and it eliminates the morning rush and bounded STRESS!

On the BIG Day!!

We all set our alarms at 6:30

** TRICK: To help your kids to wake up early for school is by changing their clocks so they can get used to an earlier bedtime and an earlier wake time.

My son had his healthy breakfast (make it a habit), got dressed, brushed his hair and teeth and was ready in no time.(all by himself!). WE even had time for lots of pictures :)

** TRICK: For little ones who might struggle with the morning routine, print a handy little chart to give them a visual guide in the mornings!

For the past 3 years, my husband and I made it our duty to personally drop and pick up our kids especially on their first weeks (gives them sense of security and happiness)!
On our way we keep reminding them how much we love them and that we'll be seeing them shortly.
We encouraged our son to sit on the front desks, so he can better pay attention and not get distracted.
Upon picking him up we gave him a big hug and asked how his day was.. Again and from previous years, we've made it a habit to always sit down and talk about their days (what they have learned, did, played, or talked about!)

You all know how the typical after school conversation goes; however, make sure to also check in with your child’s teachers, and get their perspective on how school’s going. Also, find reliable ways to read your child’s mood, behavior and progress.

Starting the school year with open and good communication, will go a long way!

Once home, we enjoyed a small cake celebration along to balloons, free playing and T.V time. Finally we ended our day with a special back-to-school family movie night and dinner.

Trick: This is a cute idea that could turn into a fun yearly back-to-school tradition.

I think it’s our job as parents to remind our little ones that everything will be Okay and we’re there to help them however we can. Just knowing you’ve always got their back is huge for every child facing back-to-school jitters.

Always show your kids extra love and support, going back to school can be stressful! Last but not least
Create a unique first and last day of school photo.
Wishing you all a great new School year.

Love
Sam