My son starts his second year of preschool next week, and the house is abuzz with the usual back-to-school preparations. Buying school supplies, marking underwear, shopping for 
clothes and getting haircuts. It’s the last-minute marathon that every parent runs in order to get her child’s school year kicked off on the right foot.
Being prepared with all the bells and whistles is great, but doing your best to make the first week transition as smooth as possible is important, too. No matter what age your kid is, that first week is always a doozie.
The shift from summer fun to school focus can be tricky, but with a little effort and a lot of cheerleading, it can be done relatively easily.
Surviving the Summer to School-Year Transition
Get back into bedtime. If bed and wake up times have been relaxed during the off season, it’s best to start the early wake-up calls and school-night bedtimes at least a week in advance. This gives your children’s bodies a little head-start on resetting their internal clocks.
Rework your schedule. The first week back hardly ever goes off without a hitch, and unexpected hiccups can make it more difficult if your mind is elsewhere. If there’s a way to lighten your own schedule, it’ll be easier to work out the kinks. If your back-to-schooler is entering preschool or kindergarten, try to clear your schedule as much as possible for the first couple of days. You might have as much anxiety as your little one. I know I did.
Involve them in the night before preparations. Help them to make their own lunches and set their alarm clocks. The benefit is two-fold, it fosters responsibility and it helps them to feel like they’re captaining the back-to-school vessel. School isn’t something that’s being forced upon them, they’re actively involved in the process.
Allow for extra time in the morning. Even if last year, you had the morning routine down to an exact science and could get your daughter from her bed to the bus stop in 42 minutes and 23 seconds, don’t expect it to run so smoothly at the beginning of this year. Give her, and yourself, plenty of extra time to get everything done. Also, if your little lady rides the bus, don’t be surprised if its arrival time varies in the first week. You don’t know if little Bobby, two stops back, refused to climb the stairs, or the bus driver had to make a last minute addition to the route.
Send a note to the teacher. Let your son’s teacher know that you’re genuinely interested in what’s happening and welcome feedback at any time. A child’s success in school is greatly impacted by parent-teacher relationships. It’s important to let the teacher know you want to know what’s happening, good or bad. Offer her your email address for quick contact.
Check the backpack. Make it a point to sit down with your son and go through his papers with him. Ask him to explain his drawings and compliment his work. If you get a note from the teacher, read it right away and discuss it as soon as possible. Being attentive to what he brings back shows him you care about what’s going on with him and how he’s doing at school.
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/mysouthborough/3898917772
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