Back-to-school articles touch readers on both an emotional and rational level, providing current thinking on learning, achievement, family well-being, parent engagement, discipline bullying and adolescent mental health.
Back-to-school is an exciting milestone for most children, but some students may feel nervous about meeting new teachers and making new friends.
Prepare Yourself
Back-to-school time marks an exciting new beginning, while for others it can be daunting and nerve wracking. While some kids might worry about new teachers or homework load, others could experience anxiety over meeting new peers or making friends for the first time. Parents can help their children overcome such anxieties by talking positively about the new year and encouraging participation in extracurricular activities that provide a well-rounded education experience.
Before your child begins school, review all of the information sent home from his/her school. This could include important dates and forms such as emergency responses and transportation schedules that will make the transition smoother for everyone involved. This can help make transition easier on everyone involved.
Encourage your children to participate in school-sponsored activities such as clubs, sports, and committees. Participating can help your children develop leadership skills while building self-esteem. Plus it gives them an opportunity to meet new people while expanding their social circle – plus these experiences could prove useful when pursuing academic goals in college and careers later on! By doing these things they’ll set themselves up for future success both academically and career wise.
Make a List of Things to Do
Prepping for school can be daunting. From gathering supplies, getting back into a routine of daily homework assignments and familiarizing oneself with unfamiliar subjects and teaching styles to getting supplies on hand in time for term one – students may feel overwhelmed at first when classes commence.
Planning each day and creating an organized study space are crucial steps toward feeling prepared. This may include setting aside an area in the house dedicated to study with features like large dry-erase or chalkboard calendars, wall file holders, baskets for holding pens and paper, etc. Furthermore, scheduling time every evening for studying can also help create the right atmosphere.
Parents should review the school handbook (often available on their school website) so they are fully informed of what’s expected of their children, including uniform guidelines and drop off/pick up policies. It also serves as an opportunity to remind your kids about regular exercise, nutritious eating habits and screen time limits – which should all contribute to improved educational results for everyone!
Prepare a Back-to-School Survival Kit
As new or veteran educators, teachers face daily challenges. Large class sizes, limited supplies and students who learn differently make a teacher’s job even harder than normal. So this back-to-school season, give your favorite educator something that can help them meet these obstacles head on! Give a gift that helps keep up with whatever new obstacles they encounter!
Create a survival kit as an act of thoughtful and creative appreciation for their hard work. Begin with an attractive container like a tote bag, plastic organizer with compartments or woven basket. Gather items that could make their lives easier and happier and place them inside your survival kit.
Keep in mind that some items included in a school survival kit, like highlighters or staplers, may not be allowed in classroom settings. If in doubt, check with your student’s school to ascertain which are allowed and which aren’t. Once the survival kit is decorated and complete, make sure it can easily be stored so they can access it when necessary.
Make a Back-to-School Shopping List
Doing this will ensure that no unnecessary items are purchased – this will also save money in the long run, since some stores sell out quickly of certain products.
Before purchasing supplies for your child’s school year, be sure to ask his/her teachers whether there are any specific requests, such as for notebooks or backpacks. Also review what supplies you already own at home – is that book bag still in good condition, can it hold another semester’s books?) and which need replacing (did your daughter consume all her pink crayons last year?).
Consider making your school shopping an effort between family or group members. Sharing the costs can make sticking to a budget easier and save money overall, plus bulk discounts may apply!