Getting Kids Ready to Go Back to School BY KAREN KAJMOWICZ
SUMMER VACATION IS ALMOST OVER AND SOON WE’LL ALL BE SENDING OUR KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL. It can tough for some kids to get back into the routine of the school year, but if you take some steps now, you’ll make the backto-school transition easier.
Start moving bedtimes and wake up times earlier IF YOUR HOUSEHOLD’ S BEDTIMES HAVE BEEN INCHING LATER AND LATER, IT’ S TIME TO START MOVING THEM BAC K. IF YOU DON’T MAKE THIS TRANSITION SLOWLY, YOU CAN EXPECT TO DRAG YOUR KIDS OUT OF BED FOR THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SCHOOL.
To set a proper bedtime, start by checking with your child’s doctor to find out how much sleep they recommend. Then, find out what time school starts and decide on a good wake up time for everyone. Then, calculate bedtime based on your doctor’s sleep recommendations.
Decrease screen time and increase reading The free time of summer often means that kids spend more time watching television and playing video games. The stimulation of screen time can make it difficult for kids to transition back into classrooms.
AS SUMMER NEARS ITS END, TRY TO DECREASE YOUR CHILD’S DAILY SCREEN TIME AND REPLACE IT WITH QUIET TIME OR READING TIME. THE MORE ACCUSTOMED THEY ARE TO SITTING QUIETLY WITHOUT A SCREEN, THE BETTER THEY’LL TRANSITION.
Go back to school shopping together
BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING IS PROBABLY ALREADY ON YOUR TODO LIST, BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU BRING YOUR KIDS ALONG WITH YOU. THAT WAY, THEY CAN BE INVOLVED IN SOME OF THE CHOICES REGARDING THEIR SCHOOL SUPPLIES AND CLOTHES, AND ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE EXCITED WHEN THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ROLLS AROUND.
Talk about the new school year! LASTLY, YOU CAN GET YOUR KIDS READY FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR BY TALKING ABOUT IT OFTEN. IF YOUR KIDS ARE ALREADY EXCITED, THEN YOU’RE ONE STEP AHEAD! IF YOUR KIDS AREN’T LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING BACK, MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE EXCITED AND POINT OUT ALL THE GREAT THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS YEAR!