Back to school: how to prepare your kids?

Gone, baby gone, Summer’s almost gone. Time to prepare your kids (or yourself) to return to school! This can be exciting and stressful for both children and parents. Are you ready to start the new school year fresh?  

Waking up is hard to do 

Waking up early is not very fun. To smoothen the transition from vacation bed and waking up times to school schedule, start at least 2 weeks beforehand to get back on track. Gradually have your kids go to bed and waking them up half an hour earlier, until you reach the required bedtimes. This is (unfortunately) not a magical cure for morning grumpiness, but it gets you and your kids back in routine. Getting enough sleep and having routine are important in lowering stress levels.  

 Pimp school supplies 

There is nothing more exciting than getting new school supplies! Not in the mood to go out and buy new items? Why not pimp your old ones together with your kids?! Decorate pens with washi tape, make pencil holders, create covers for notebooks, and embellish backpacks. You can find a lot of inspiration on how to update school supplies on Pinterest (search for back-to-school DIY or backpack decoration). Have your kids decorate these items at their designated homework area at home. Once ready, put them in their backpack so they cannot forget.   

Refresh your memory! 

Refresh your kid’s memory and check what they did last school year. This will make it easier for your mini-me to pick up where they left. By reading through notes of the previous year, kids might feel more confident to start the new year and it will help put your kids in the right frame of mind to go back to school. Try making it fun, by e.g. watching documentaries, visiting museums or by playing math puzzles like IQ Digits and sudokus, problem-solving games like Horse Academy and IQ Stixx or family games like Grabbit. You can do this throughout the entire summer holiday!  

Don’t worry, be happy! 

Having to go back to school can be stressful and cause anxiety, mostly because kids don’t really know what to expect. To ease their anxiety, go on a field trip! Take together the route to their school they will have to take and if possible, visit the school beforehand (if it’s a new school). Another thing that can help is to already schedule some playdates before school starts with their school friends. Still not soothed? Try preparing some questions kids can ask other students on the first day of school or do some role playing with your little one.  

How do you prepare your mini-me (and yourself) to go back to school? Let us know via @smartgamessocial.