Preparing your Child for Back to School - from A to Z

YOUR A TO Z GUIDE TO

BEATING THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL BLUES

A is for Attitude – Some children get really excited about going back to school, others not so much. Attitude, both from the parents and the child, is essential for a good start to a new school year. Parents need to speak positively about school, friends, teachers, sports and lessons. Have fun buying school supplies, new outfits, planning schedules and everything involved in preparing for a new school year.

B is for Books – There’s nothing that will get children excited about school more than fun stories. Here are a few of my favorites.

• ·         The Kissing Hand – Ages 3 to 8
• ·         Little School – Ages 3 to 5
• ·         The night before Preschool – Ages 3 to 6
• ·         Sam and Gram and the First Day of School – Ages 4 to 7
• ·         Froggy Goes to School – Ages 3 to 5
• ·         First Day Jitters – Ages 4 to 8
• ·         First Grade Jitters – Ages 6 to 8
• ·         A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade – Ages 6 to 8
• ·         First Grade Stinks – Ages 6 to 8
• ·         Welcome to Second Grade by Abby Klein
• ·       Miss Little's Gift, by Douglas Wood - 2nd Grade. A wonderful, autibiographic story about a teacher who didnt' give up on him even though he struggled with ADHD and led him to love reading.
• ·      It's Back to School We Go! First Day Stories from Around the World, by Eleen B. Jackson. Typical first day of school from around the world - 2nd to 4th grades.
•      Justin Case: School, Dool and Other Daily Disasters, by Rachel Vail - 3rd grade
•      Because of Mr. Terupt, by Rob Buyea. 5th grade
•      Too Cool for This School, by Kristen Tracy - Middle School

C is for Clothes – Back to school can become very expensive for families, but having the right clothes is important for your child to feel like he/she fits in and is dressed appropriately. Check your state listing for Tax-Free days. Check thrift shops or churches in your area that might have programs to help families with tight incomes. Be sure they have good shoes to walk in, warm clothes for the winter (you do not want your child to get cold while waiting for the bus), and cooler clothes for the warm weather. If your child has special needs, such as autism, and doesn’t know how to dress for the weather, you can either lay out clothes the night before or, in my house, I’ve put a sun on the shelf with T-shirts and shorts, a cloud for longer sleeves and a snowman for winter-type clothing. We’ll discuss what the weather is likely to be the next so my son has an idea of what clothes to pick in the morning.

D is for Drink – Many schools now have water fountains with sports bottle refill stations. You might want to purchase a new sports bottle for your child or bring out the old one and get some fun stickers to ‘dress it up’ and remind them of the importance of staying hydrated at school.

E is for Entertainment – Check your local library or rent some fun movies about going back to school such as

·         The Little Princess (Rated G)

·         Akeela and the Bee (Rated PG)

·         Freaky Friday (Rated PG)

F is for Familiar – Sometimes it helps to bring something familiar to school. Check with teachers ahead of time, seeing as many do not like kids to bring toys from home. One of my sons really suffered from separation anxiety, so I made him a bracelet to wear, reminding him that I was just a few miles away and we’d see each other again at the end of the day. Or, you can make one together before school starts. For young ones, it might be a blanket for nap time, or a picture of Mom and/or Dad to keep in their backpack. For older kids who have a hard time, it can be a small reminder they can wear, keep in their pocket or in their backpack. Do not give them anything dangerous or valuable and let teachers know that your child has that memento to help them overcome separation anxiety. Teachers are usually quite understanding and can also help your child cope with their angst.

G is for Games – Games are a great way to get your child excited about school. You can create your own (I like to play the repetition game: the first person says “When I go to school I take my backpack,” the next person says “When I go to school I take… then repeats my backpack and comes up with another object such as and pencils.” Continue in a circle, adding to the list until individuals start forgetting the order of objects. Other home-made games are Memory (print out cards of school objects in duplicate, lay them down on the table face down and try to find a match). Or create crosswords or word finds with school-related words. There are many other games you can find on-line. www.primarygames.com offers quite a few fun ones for younger kids.

H is for Homework – Create a homework station for your child so he/she doesn’t have to search the house for a pencil or an eraser. In our home, we all do homework at the dining-room table. Next to it, I have plastic bins which I’ve labeled with the contents of each bin. The last three bins are labeled with each of my three sons’ names and they know to put all of their papers (except those that have to go back the next day) into their own bin. This avoids lost or mixed up papers.

I is for Identification- Identify your child’s school supplies. Mark his/her name on all items. Permanent marker works best as it doesn’t come unglued or rub off. Sew tags on clothes your child might remove, such as coats, jackets, sweatshirts, scarves, hats, gloves and sports gear. DO NOT HAVE YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON THE OUTSIDE OF BACKPACK to keep them safe from child predators.

J is for Jokes – Keep it clean. But jokes are also a fun way to get kids excited about school. http://boyslife.org/features/32016/back-to-school-jokes/ has a slew of clean, funny jokes that just might give your kids the giggle they need.

K is for Kindness – This is a good time to remind your child about kindness and school rules such as don’t push, take turns, don’t talk in the hall, respect your teacher and do to others as you want them to do to you.

L is for Lunches – I won’t beleaguer this point, except to recommend you check Pinterest for ideas on what to pack and healthy lunch tips.

M is for Math – During the summer, those little gray cells in the brain seem to forget a lot, especially time tables. Help your child start the year right by reviewing their time tables. For little ones, you might do number recognition and ask them how high they can count. Make it fun!

N is for Notebooks – My sons love to put stickers on their new notebooks and binders. As long as they are appropriate, most schools and teachers won’t have a problem with this. Walmart sells fun stickers in themes such as Star Wars, Ninja Turtles, and Frozen. Have fun with this and let them be as creative as they like. After all, it’s their notebooks. (Pinterest has a few sites with free printables). HowDoesShe.com also provides printable binder covers to color.

O is for Orientation – Most schools have student orientation for Kindergarten, 6^th grade and high school. Be sure to check your school’s dates and times so you and your child can attend. This is a great opportunity to make them feel ready and excited, as well as feeling secure by knowing where to go on that first day in a new school.

P is for Plan – Plan something fun for that first week-end after school starts. It will give your older children, especially, something to look forward to. It could be something as simple as going to see a movie, going to the zoo, buying a new outfit, or a picnic at the beach.

Q is for Quotes – I really like to post inspirational quotes on my fridge or on the corkboard near the coat rack. Start posting quotes that will inspire your child to want to learn. Change it up every week with a variety of quotes ranging from funny to inspirational.

R is for Routine – There are some great routine charts available on Pinterest. One of them has three charts; before school routine, after school routine and before bed routine. Your after school routine list might look something like this;

·         Empty backpack

·         Set lunch box by kitchen sink

·         Give all important papers to Mom or Dad

·         Hang up your backpack

·         Wash hands

·         Eat snack

·         Do homework

·         Have fun

S is for Special Needs – Alert the school if your child has special needs. Any medical changes over the summer need to be reported to the school nurse. If your child needs special accommodations, talk to someone in the school office before school starts. Especially important are a new diagnosis such as autism or ADHD. The school will have to implement a 504 plan or an IEP (Individualized Education Plan). If there have been other major events over the summer months, such as a death in the family or a divorce, let the school know so they are prepared to help your child through counseling or other means.

T is for Talk – Talk to your child about going back to school. This is a big event in their lives and should be addressed, not ignored. Ask them about any concerns or fears they might have. Discuss their options and resources if they’re having a difficult time. Keep the conversation open.

U is for Understand – Talk to your child about the rules of learning. Some children really struggle to understand what the teacher is trying to teach them. Make sure your child knows he/she should raise their hand to ask questions, go to the teacher and if they didn’t understand the lesson and/or talk to Mom and/or Dad if they are feeling like they are falling behind. Some kids actually think they are stupid because they are not understanding. This is a terrible set-back for any child. Teach your child to ask questions about topics they don’t understand even within the home setting so they get used to the notion that it is okay to not always understand and that asking questions or asking for clarification is sometimes necessary and happens to all of us.

V is for Vacation – Vacation? Just when school is starting? Yes, kids need to know that there are breaks up ahead and fun hasn’t stopped just because summer break has ended. Highlight vacations on your family calendar or year planner (See Y). Color those vacation days and/or place holiday stickers so those time-offs are highly visible. Make it fun, so the kids have something to look forward to.

W is for Wake – Get sleep schedule back on track about two weeks before school starts. If your child likes to sleep in, try to get him/her up earlier each day until they are waking up at the time you would wake them for school.

X is for X-tra special – Spend some extra special time with your children while the sun is warm and the beach is open. Be spontaneous and go out for a stroll in the park, go get ice-cream, look for shapes in the clouds and spend a few extra minutes each night reminding your child how X-tra special they are.

Y is for Year Planner – Be sure to have a central calendar everyone can see and use. Mark important dates, holidays and vacation days, school activities, sports activities, extra-curricular activities, etc.

Z is for Zany – Be funny, be crazy, have fun together. Soon you’ll be back at work, the kids will be at school all day and you’ll be wishing you could ignore the homework they brought home. A few zany ideas might be

·         After your kids are bathed and in their pajamas, surprise them and go out for ice-cream. Trust me, they’ll think you’ve gone crazy. And they’ll love it!

·         Let your kids decide what they want for supper – and let them make it (with supervision, of course). Nothing is off limits. Even ice-cream for an entrée.

·         Take photos or selfies. Not just one or two, but bunches. Dress up like various characters, put flowers in your hair, have the kids dress up as Mom and Dad. Have fun with this.

Have a great school year!!!