6 Steps To Help You Get Ready For ‘Back To School’

As a parent, gearing up for another school year can be stressful. These back to school tips for parents will help you handle it smoothly!

As a parent, gearing up for another school year can be stressful. These back to school tips for parents will help you handle it smoothly!

When I went on my regular grocery and vegetable shopping last week, the access way was flooded with school bags, lunch boxes, note books, pens etc. It just took me back to my own school days when I used to get new note books and my parents used to help me with putting on the brown paper covers, polythene covers and stapling them!

It feels like just yesterday and here I am, a mother already who has to deal with all the back to school stuff with my kid. But given my child’s age, I still have some more time to relish before I need to juggle these tasks.

The summer holidays are usually busy and lazy! Busy because the kids are enrolled into summer camps or busy packing their bags to go for a holiday or busy, again packing their bags to spend time with the  grandparents – where they would be pampered to the core and spoilt with oodles of love and care! Haven’t we experienced this as kids? And the holidays are lazy otherwise, as parents and kids take it easy in sticking to the daily schedules. So back to school is like back to business!

Follow these simple steps to welcome another school year with excitement and harmony.

 1. Last things first

Though we plan a million things during the summer vacation, there are always a few of them missed out due to our prior commitments or timelines or other personal reasons. When your child’s academic year is about to start, try and see if you can do simple things that the kid feels are significant and that you may have missed during holidays. It could be a visit to your child’s favourite park or having an ice-cream or watching a show or even soaking a bit in the early monsoon! These last things should be your first priority now, to get a feel of that contented holiday for you and your child.

2. Clear Up

While your little one would be excited to buy all the new stuff for a new beginning, it is wise to give them clarity on why we need shop only for essential things. Simultaneously, involve your kid in clearing up the wardrobe for any items that no longer fit him/her or the ones which get used rarely. Visit an orphanage or an NGO to donate the used (but in good condition) clothes/toys/accessories which are no longer required for your child. It is good to teach kids that we need to clear the space at home before buying any new item.

3. Start setting a routine

Start organizing your days from a week before the actual start date of the school. This makes things easier as the kids (and you too) get adjusted to the routine and it becomes hassle free. Avoid late night shows and now that the IPL is also over, make it a practice to put your kids to bed early. Getting up early sorts out a lot of things, isn’t it?

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4. Give importance to nutrition and meal times

Enough with the indulgence now! Try to stick to nutritious home cooked meals for your kids. And make it a point that they stick to proper meal times, fruit, milk and snack time. No more holiday brunch now – just say good bye to it and start your days with a refreshing breakfast instead.

5. Make your To-do list

Make a list of items that you need to shop for school and plan to finish it at least a week before. Go green and try to shop for eco-friendly items as much as you can and convey the importance of the same to your kids. Make sure everything is sorted regarding the payment of school fees, school bus pickup/drop venue and timings. Lastly, check if your child needs any grooming/hairdo change before he/she gets ready for another big year.

6. Encourage your child

Children need to be given enough time to settle down in their new school/class with new friends and a new environment. Don’t rush things if there are any initial glitches; this really helps them to sail smoothly later on with confidence. Appreciate their efforts and encourage them to be active and to take care of themselves when they are on their own. We should give them the confidence that we are always there to listen to them at any point in time.

The most important thing is not to be over vigilant. Even though we try to do our best in setting up the routine, we should also allow ourselves to be at ease when things don’t turn out the way we have planned. Try to sort out the issues on the go and try not to hold back on every little thing.

This is one of the essential things we can actually learn from kids, and with patience, your child’s future school days will be more fun-filled and memorable. Happy Schooling!

Pic of school supplies via Shutterstock

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Sowmya Baruvuri

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