Ready For the New School Year? Tips On How To Make It A Great One!

We have expert advice on how to help your child enjoy a fabulous school year.

Okay, ready for the new school year? Here are some tips to help make it a great year for you and your child.

• Review material sent by the school as soon as it arrives. These information packets can include important information about your child’s teacher, room number, school supply requirements, sign ups for after-school sports and activities, school calendar dates, bus transportation, health and emergency forms, and volunteer opportunities.

• Mark your calendar. Make a note of important dates, including open houses, field trips, days off, half day dismissals, and other noteworthy days. This is especially important if you have children in more than one school and need to juggle obligations.

• Set up a homework center. Make sure you have pencils, pens, sharpeners, dictionaries, and other materials needed for an easy and successful daily homework routine.

• Get organized. Set up a place where your children can leave papers that you need to read or sign. Keep a lap desk in your trunk for times when one child is waiting with you for another so that they can utilize this time for homework. Set up a calendar and message center so that important school-related events are not missed or overlooked.

• Get them to bed early. Studies show that children who get enough sleep do better in school. Try to start bedtime routines a bit earlier than usual. Talk to your child about how they can better wind down and relax in order to fall asleep earlier.

• Help them eat a healthy breakfast. Sugary cereals? White bread and jelly? Try to avoid foods that can spike blood sugar levels early in the day and cause behavior problems later on. Better choices include oatmeal, berries, and other low glycemic foods.

• Turn off the TV or reduce TV time. Instead, encourage reading, games, puzzles.

• Alert your child’s teacher to any problems your child has faced in school that perhaps they could help with. Social problems, academic challenges are all issues that a teacher can help if they are aware of the problem from the start.  Let the teacher know that you are interested in getting feedback on how your child is doing in school. Let the teacher know specifics about your child, so that they are better equipped to deal with your child’s personality and learning style.

• Pack backpacks and prepare healthy lunches the night before so as to avoid morning stress. Get the kids involved in helping to prepare for their day at school.

• Practice the skill of note-taking with your child. If your child isn’t proficient at taking notes, practice with them how to listen and take notes in class. Perhaps invite your child to watch a TV show and take notes on what happens during the show.

• If your child is having social or emotional difficulties at school, contact a guidance counselor and ask them to meet with and perhaps check on your child on a regular basis. Inquire if there are any support groups available at the school, or opportunities for your child to meet and share their concerns, as a way for them to feel more supported in the school environment.

• Boast your child’s confidence.  Find activities where your child can feel competent and gain a sense of mastery. Look for volunteer opportunities in the community where they can help others. Consider signing them up for a dance, singing, drama, art, cooking, sewing, or craft class. Get involved in a bowling league or a soccer team. Don’t be afraid to think ‘out of the box’ if your child lacks confidence and needs to find a place and activity where they can feel competent and successful.

• Spend some time thinking about problems that may have plagued your child in past school years. Did you find resolutions to the problems? What helped in the past?

• If your child is having a hard time at school, spend some time talking about how to make friends and listen to their concerns. Try to pair them with a neighbor or friend from another class that they have some history with and get along with.  Arrange play dates or get-togethers with classmates. Help them join clubs and other activities where they can find friends with common interests.

• Review safety rules with your children regarding getting on and off the bus. Make sure they know to check to see that there is no oncoming traffic before exiting the bus or crossing the street. Make sure they know to always remain in clear view of the bus driver, and that they should never move around the bus.

• Get involved. Volunteer at your child’s school or library. Join the PTO. If you feel your child’s school is lacking in some way, try to start what you feel is needed.

• Spend time each day talking to your child about what happened in school. Give them feedback about their experiences. Try to help them see the value in school. If they encounter a problem with a teacher or classmate, practice how they can successfully communicate and cope with this problem.

• Begin a back-to-school tradition so that your children have something to look forward to when school begins. Some examples are: a special first day breakfast, a cake they can look forward to after school, a school-related present waiting for them when they wake up on the first day of school.

• If your child is having trouble in a subject, talk to the teacher and consider a tutor or a friend who is proficient in that subject as a way to give them the supplemental help they may need.

• If your child is experiencing high anxiety, make sure they know they do not have to be ‘perfect’ at school.  Let them understand there is a difference between working hard and being ‘successful’ at school and feeling that you have to be ‘perfect.’

• Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, whether it be playing basketball, doing an exercise video, taking a walk or dancing, exercise can help your child better regulate their moods.

• Help them goal set. What do they hope to accomplish this school year? Write down the goals and then break down in steps what is needed for them to reach these milestones.

• Teach them how to respect and yes, care for their teacher. Students who can empathize with the workload and stress on their teachers will have a better sense of why their teacher may yell or get upset at times. Take the time to talk to your child about the stresses teachers face, and how their behavior can make the teacher’s day either easier or much harder. Remember to do a refresher on basic manners—teachers like to hear please and thank you too!

• Talk about being part of a community and how when you are in a classroom, you become part of the community. Share thoughts on how to contribute and be a positive force in the classroom, as well as how to display confidence and a sense of self-worth among peers.

• Review the basics of making friends. Spend some time talking about saying hello, smiling, helping others if your child is having trouble making friends. Discuss behaviors that might cause other child not to want to be friends with a classmate, and discuss the reasons why a person might choose a classmate to be a friend, such as having a common interest.

Lastly, use your parental intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, but your child refuses to tell you what is happening in school, press for information. Don’t assume that by ignoring a situation, it will go away. If your child mood changes drastically, get help immediately. If your child is being bullied in some way, either physically or emotionally, be proactive immediately:  speak to teachers, principles, the other child’s parents, even the local police if necessary (a visit from a police officer might do wonders to stop a bully in their tracks). If you help your child stay on track both academically and socially, hopefully it will be a great school year.