Back to Class: Simple Tips for Back-to-School Success

By: Heather Bragg

The start of the school year can be an exciting—and nerve-wrecking—time for children and their parents! Preparing for back-to-school is key at any age to make a successful transition from summer to school. While back-to-school activities vary by grade/age, some elements remain the same whether you have a child starting preschool or a child heading off to college. As we look forward to the first day of school here are some important things to remember:

Put your child’s needs first.

This seems obvious, but often we parents operate on autopilot, assuming we know what is best for our son or daughter. Let this time of the year be a reminder to slow down and sit down with our children, ask them how they feel about the coming school year and really hear their concerns and hopes. Set aside quiet time for yourself first, and think about your own feelings about the upcoming school year. Then envision packing those feeling into a box and putting them on a shelf before your conversation with your child about his own hopes, fears and general expectations and questions around next school year. Acknowledging and then setting aside our own feelings helps us listen to others with a little less bias on our part. I bet most of your “What should I do to help my child get ready for the school year?” questions will be answered simply by having an unrushed, truly open conversation with your child. Info you can discuss and gather from this conversation includes:

Your child’s level of excitement and/or anxiety around starting the school year

Any changes for your child---Is this a new school? Is he transitioning from half-day to full day? Will he be taking the bus instead of walking?

How familiar is your child with his new teacher and classmates? Will he have a lot of familiar faces in his class? What does he know about his teacher? This is a great time to have conversations with other parents and older students who are familiar with your child’s soon-to-be-teacher and ask about their experiences.

Your child’s feelings about school in general, his/her experiences from last year.

Often children who had a negative experience from last year will be more anxious as the first day draws closer. This is a great time to break down last year’s difficulties and how to be proactive and make this year more positive and enjoyable. After all, it is a fresh start!

Once you have had a conversation with your child around the upcoming school year, look into the activities listed below for helpful and age-appropriate activities to prepare for the start of school…

Attending the school’s open house/back to school night

Go shopping for school supplies

Get a copy of your child’s schedule

Get a map of the school

Adjust bedtime and wake-up times gradually, starting about a week before school starts

Arrange playdates with your child and any classmates he knows, giving a chance to get reacquainted if they haven’t seen much of each other over the summer

Check your email/school website for any changes

Make sure any summer assignments (reading, etc) are finished

Another key part of looking ahead to the start of school includes out-of-school time.

Talk to your child about homework and study habits. Together, plan and set up your child’s homework station. Ideally, this is a relatively quiet place that is within your line of vision but not part of the busiest place in the house. The homework spot should be a place where your child can leave materials (dictionaries, a calculator, graph paper etc.) that will not get moved on a regular basis. (a common problem with using the kitchen table as the homework spot!). Talk about homework routines, such as when your child should start his homework, when and how often he can take breaks, etc.

Closely related to homework time is activity time. How busy is your child? How many activities will he have on his plate this fall? While activity schedules vary by your child’s age, learning style etc., committing to just one activity per season often works best for many children. While it can be difficult to pick just one, and your child may have many interests, having a family conversation around activities and the logistics of participation will likely be helpful for school success.

Best wishes on an awesome first day of school and positive kick-off to the year!

-----

About Heather Bragg: Heather Leneau Bragg, M.A., is a learning specialist and former classroom teacher, with a bachelors degree in Elementary Education, and a masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Northwestern University. Heather is also the creator of Learning Decoded (learningdecoded.tv), an innovative resource guide for teachers and parents to uncover learning challenges and create a customized plan to help each student learn effectively.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningDecoded

Twitter: https://twitter.com/learningdecoded