“What are we doing for lunch when school starts?” First and foremost do what works and what is best for your family. If packing your children’s own lunches is an viable option, now is the time to start discussing this. I know many families do food prepping on Sunday afternoons and meals are arranged for the week, both lunches and dinners. This may sound like a lot of work, yet what it does is, it allows taking the stress out of meal planning and preparation during the week so that you can do the things you need to do each day. If your children will be their lunch will work for your family this year, it will take a little effort on your part, and include your children in the execution of this task. You can do a search of some lunch ideas, purchase all of the containers necessary to facilitate, including utensils, storage and a thermos necessary so that lunch preparation is easy. In my experience as a parent and as a teacher when children become part of the process, they have skin in the game, and are much more invested. Let them help and come up with healthy ideas. Let them help prepare the food. This is an excellent idea if your child has food allergies or intolerances. When kids prepare their own meals, they become more familiar with good nutrition and both parent and child are aware of exactly what’s in their diet. Do some practice runs. I recommend that lunches are ready to go the night before as well as backpacks, coats, shoes, and all homework in the backpack with any discussions of new plans for the day the night before so that children know any changes to the plan.
Getting all medical appointments in if possible before school starts. Make those calls and appointments now so that you can get them in. If you happen to be late to the game, get on a cancellation list, making follow-up calls to see if they’ve had any appointments open up. Receptionist and front desk people can be overloaded this time of year, so giving them a call and asking nicely may yield getting in. If you can get as many appointments prior to school starting, your child is taking less time off school and it makes for a smoother after school routine if you can get some of those appointments out of the way now.
School shopping for clothes and supplies. If your child’s school or teacher has a list get that before going shopping, so as not to over by. Shop for sales and promotions. Some states offer certain days where they allow a break on sales taxes. Do not over buy! You don’t need a lot of extra supplies laying around the house. When it comes to school clothing, make an assessment and going through your child’s closet and drawers of what they need. Don’t just buy to buy. Only buy what they need. Kids grow so fast and if you buy too many clothes it could be a waste of money. Explain to your children that you will buy what they need. We don’t just buy school clothes because it’s that time of year. Make a list with your child, based on what their needs are. If they need special clothes for gym, be aware of the requirements for those clothes. If there’s a dress code, respect it and make your purchases accordingly.
Do some practice runs of the morning routine and begin adjusting your child’s bedtime so it’s not a shock to their system Once school starts. Start with adjusting 15 minutes each night and start going through the bedtime routine for a school night with clothes out the night before, homework put in the backpack as mentioned above. Spend a little bit of time with your child after they get into bed, saying their prayer with them and asking them how their day was. Sometimes this is when children want to tell you if something happened during the day that’s weighing in their heart and it’s also nice to hear from you before they fall asleep how much you love them and how proud you are of them. if you don’t have a specific routine and there’s something you would like to start incorporating into your routine, now is the time to give it a try. For example, we used to read to our kids before they went to bed. Sometimes it was a junior fiction novel that we read a chapter of each night, sometimes it was a selected story we had read in the newspaper-back when people used to read newspapers and we cut out clippings-or it could be a short story or an essay that you have come across that you feel would be an inspiring to your child. At bedtime, I like to stay away from any stories, that might be upsetting or cause a child to worry as they are going off to sleep. As I have said time and time again, no technology to charge in the bedrooms is a recommendation that I would make and it worked well for our children. Kids need to get a good nights sleep every night so that they are prepared and well rested the school day.
Get into the routine of any preparations necessary to make the morning go smoothly, mentioned earlier was getting the clothes and backpacks out. Also, it would be important to set the table or counter, rather than leaving that for the morning. If the counter is set, vitamins are out and you know what you will be serving for breakfast will make the morning goes smoother. Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Try to stay away from sugary breakfast, make sure your children eat enough protein, in the form of eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, or protein smoothies. Get as much out as you can to help make the morning smooth.
Talking up the school year and preparations. This can happen in the car, as you’re preparing dinner or as you’re working on projects like folding laundry or organizing their rooms for the upcoming school year. Talk about how excited you are for your child to take on a new school year and all the activities associated with it. If you know some things about their teacher and you’ve met them, remind your child of some of these quality in their teacher. Talk about the importance of being a diligent student and getting off to a good start. This time discussing will allow your child to voice any concerns that they may have about the school year. Address them before school starts. Check in and see how they’re doing with these concerns that have been on their mind. Sometimes just talking about them in advance can make a difference. For example, if this will be the first year, your child is using a locker, maybe you want to go to school a few days early and have them practice so that they’re not under stress and left caring their belongings all day. If they are concerned about knowing where their classrooms are if they will be changing classes for the first time, call the school and ask if you can go up to help them walk through their schedule. These may seem like insignificant concerns, however to a child taking on a new chapter in their life, they can be overwhelming. By you discussing these topics and those on their heart and mind, it gives them a chance to communicate how they feel and you are teaching them that when they are faced with a new situation, being proactive can result in giving them more confidence to take on the school year.
OPEN HOUSE & Final Thoughts. Get to know your child’s teacher. When I taught school, at the open house I would say to my parents, “I will believe half of what I hear that goes on your home, if you do the same” and I said that jokingly. Get off to a good start with a teacher and as much as possible try to be on the teacher’s side. Teachers have a tough job. They wear so many hats in your child’s life. While they are at school they fill in for you as their advocate. They are their teacher, their counselor, their friend and at times the disciplinarian. Give the teacher the benefit of the doubt. if your child comes home with a concern, try as much as possible, not to be combative with the teacher. Listen to what they have to say. Sometimes there’s a misunderstanding or miscommunication and there may be a time when your child didn’t meet the mark. Most teachers layout in advance a rubric that explains the objectives on the assignments and what is required for satisfactory completion. If your child did not do what was required for the desired grade, that is not the teachers fault. You need to back the teacher in these situations. If your child sees you backing them even when they are wrong, you are teaching them that they do not need to do what the teacher says, and what is required of them. This is not how the real world works. If you decide not to pay your taxes on time, there will be a penalty. you decide not to file the speed limit and there will be a ticket and fine. This is how the real world works . I remember a parent telling me that their child came home from school very upset with the teacher asking for a teacher change. The parent met with the teacher, listened to the teachers goals and objectives for the school year, and got a very good feel for the teacher. When they got home, the child met them at the door and asked, “Did you get my class changed?” The parent responded with, “No, I listen to the teachers plans for the school year and objectives and decided that it would be best if you stayed in the classroom.” Of course, the child was disappointed however, it ended up being a good school year. The teacher did have high expectations in the child rose to the occasion.” Lastly, communicate to your child that learning is lifelong. Yes this is the beginning of a new school year and a new chapter in their life. However, every day is a new day to learn and put their best foot forward. Explain to them that you have an opportunity to get an education, which means that they will be prepared for the future and that in many subjects, one year built on the next. Share with your children that school is their job and there to do quality work. When you have high expectations for your children, they WILL rise to the occasion. It’s not perfection but excellence, which can lead too many great days.
