Back to School: How to Prepare Your Child*

At the half way point through the summer holidays, it will seem forever since you sent your little one to school on the last day of term with their teacher bags to say thank you for the year just past.

If your child is starting school for the very first time, it’s natural for them to feel anxious. Some additional things you could do to help them feel more familiar with the school they’re going to could be have a look at the schools website or social media. For example, Orchard House School has an extensive website where your child could see what the place looks like, what the uniform looks like on other children and you could explain the sort of things they’ll be doing. Or you could try and meet up with parents of children who will be in the same class as your child. The familiarity will help put their mind and ease.

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For my kid who is into her fourth year at the same school, here are a few things we’ll be doing to help her feel less nervous about returning;

Have a Play Date
LM has only seen kids from her school in passing, such as at a local event or in the supermarket. For 3 weeks she’s only had her cousins to play with and neither of those go to same school as her. I plan on setting up a play date with some kids from school and their parents over the next few weeks. The social aspect is one of the reasons I don’t home school LM, it’s important to her so I think time with her friends will get her ready to go back to school.

Shop for School Supplies
When I was a kid I LOVED shopping for school supplies. Not the boring stuff like bits of uniform. But the new swimming bag, lunch bag, school shoes and stationary all needs to be bought and I think picking her own always helps her feel good about going back. The Works has a great range of discount stationery supplies to prepare your kids for the new school year. Who doesn’t enjoy showing off their new swag? And let’s not forget the teacher swag if you’re starting back as a teacher! You can get cool teacher t shirts too.

Rekindle that Learning Fire
At the start of the summer I was all about keeping the holiday structured. With the constant rain for the last two weeks that’s sort of fell to the sidelines. Over the next few weeks I plan on breaking out the work books, get LM working on a project and helping her slide back into that learning lifestyle. We’ve definitely exhausted the DVD watching and Switch playing now (I hope!) The thing about LM is she does enjoy learning but as I’ve tried to juggle house work, entertaining her and working from home, I’ve been slacking on encouraging her. I definitely need to pull my finger out!

Make a Summer Holiday Diary
The project I have on my mind to work on is a holiday diary for LM to take into school. I feel like if she has something exciting she wants to show off to her class on the first day back she’ll feel excited about going in. I have to admit, I’m not the most crafty mother out there but I think I can manage helping her make a fun summer holiday diary and it will be a great way to practice her writing again after so long off!

Is your kid nervous about returning to school? How do you make them feel better about it?