How to Make Your Child Ready For First Time to School?

Heading back to school takes mental preparation (for both you and your children.) Don’t worry: no need to get panic, a little planning can keep you and your kids relax on the first school day. Obviously you want to make you and your kids into back-to-school mode without chaos. With the beginning of school, parents face new organization challenges.

Get organized now for the best school year ever! Get the family organized and ready to roll for the new school year with these key tips.

• Begin early: Start getting ready for back to school at least four weeks before the first bell rings. Go ahead and quietly make plans for the new school year. Some tasks, for example, enrolling in activities and after-school programs, may need to be done even earlier in the summer vacations itself.
• Visit the school: Find out whether there are any new policies you need to know, such as a change in dress code or an additional school supplies. If you’re new to the school, make sure you have filled out all the required forms.
• Visit the doctor: Make sure your child is healthy and up on immunizations. Your pediatrician is also a good resource for school issues such as bedtime and television viewing time. Tell your doctor if your child struggled in school the previous year or has had recent changes in behavior or interest in learning.

• Meet the teacher: Discover when your child’s school announces classroom assignments. Most schools host an open house when parents can meet the teacher’s of the child and ask about their performance and weaknesses. Try to meet your child’s teacher before the first day of school. Let her know you would like to work together to make sure your child has a good year ahead.
• Surf around: Find out how much information your child’s school posts online. Some schools have small websites with basic information, while others have features like calendars, information on joining the parent group, and programs to track your child’s grades. Most school sites post a link to the class-wise curriculum. Go through the website and find out what your child will be learning in the coming session. If he’s going to be studying planets, you might be able to fit in a trip to the planetarium. If he’s going to be studying history, you can look for age-appropriate movies with historical themes.

• Think transportation: Will your child take the bus? Will you yourself or older sibling take him to school daily? Check the bus schedule to find out where your stop is and what time the bus is scheduled to be there. If your bus stop is at a little distance from your house, find out kids in the vicinity going to same school & arrange them to walk back home together.

• Stock up: Of course you’ll go back-to-school shopping, a task that is best done early and in small bites. Besides equipping your kids, use list provided by the school to buy all those things your child will need for going and learning in school.

• Roll back bedtimes: Teachers recommend easing kids back into the sleeping routine for the school year a few weeks before school starts. That way, your child will be refreshed in class instead of struggling to stay awake. Try moving back your child’s bedtime by 10 or 15 minutes a week until you’re back to the school-year schedule. It’s also a good idea to start waking up your kids earlier in anticipation of the new school year. The week before school reopens, plan a fun family outing that needs everyone to awake early, as if it were a school day. And also talk to him/her about the school and behaving appropriately in the school.

• Set the stage: Get the kids’ school clothes, shoes, i-cards, bags, books, notebooks, pencil box, lunch box, water bottle, art & craft accessories organized and accessible. Set up a station for backpacks, books and other things as well as a basket for school-related papers.
• Be positive: Kids groan about the start of the new school year, but often they are as ready for school to resume as you are. (Read this article which will help you to prepare your child for first time to school) Keep a positive attitude about the beginning of school even when things don’t go exactly your way. Maybe you’re dealing with incomprehensible school supplies that are hard to find. Try to make your family excited about a new school year so everyone can get off to a great start.