Getting the Kids Ready for Back to school
It’s that time of year when the lazy days of summer are coming to an end and it’s back to school and routine for everyone. After a summer of fun, and likely some lack of routine, it is sadly time to start getting things on track. With a little less than 2 weeks to go here are a few tips to help make the transition as easy as possible for everyone.
1. Start getting the kids on the schedule they will be for bed and rising for school. If they ease into it now it will be much easier once the first day of school rolls around.
2. Start talking about school and their new class and teacher – make it something for them to look forward to!
3. Inventory the kids clothes – what do they need that is new? What clothes/shoes do they need to be left at school?
4. Get the litter less lunch bags and containers ready and labeled.
5. Get your meal plans done for lunches – figure out some good ideas and how you can prepare in advance to make everything as easy as possible for everyone in the morning.
6. If it is your child’s first time at school start talking about the day and what it will likely look at – we bought “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn prior to my daughter entering JK and it helped her conceptualize the separation a bit better.
7. If your child is upset when you are dropping him/her off remain positive and upbeat even if you are struggling on the inside – they will feed off of your anxiety so you need to remain calm and reassuring for them. Once they are inside and can’t see you go ahead and ball your face off!
8. If your child is anxious talk to the teacher to let them know and ask to understand the routine of the day – ie) circle time, reading time, snack time etc. My daughter really needed to understand how the day was going to go and this helped manage her anxiety.
Hope these few tips will help make the transition in September a little bit easier.
- Start preparing for the routine of school now
- Have open dialogue about school to get some excitement
- Prep for clothing and lunches
- Understanding routines helps ease children’s anxiety
Dr Dina Talks About Getting Your Kids Ready for School
“START THE ROUTINE EARLY!” .. Dr Dina
Allison Madigan is a holistic nutritionist. She has a strong belief in the power of food and proper nutrition to keep us in our best health and prevent disease. Allison’s goal is to empower people to make healthy and mindful decisions for themselves and their families to achieve optimal health. She has a keen interest in food sensitivities and allergies and helping families navigate this as she has gone through this with her own daughter.
