Back-To-School season is here! Here’s a handy PRE-back-to-school checklist that you can start to prepare your kids, especially the little ones who are just starting, for the new year ahead.
One week before school:
START YOUR SCHOOL SLEEP ROUTINE
Routines can be relaxed in the summer, so a week prior to school is a good time to adjust the family schedule to get everyone back into morning and bedtime habits.
– Establish bed times for the school year and start following them
– Ensure the entire family is up when they would be for school
– For older children, give them their own alarm clock and let them practice using it
– Ensure that the entire family get involved so that your child doesn’t feel alone with these changes
PROMOTE HEALTHY EATING HABITS
Nutrition is extremely important; it’s hard to cope well when you are tired or hungry, so provide your child with nutritious and frequent snacks and build regular routines.
– Start having your meals around regular mealtimes
– Ask your child to help you create a school lunch menu for the first week of school
– Allow your child to pick out his or her favorite snacks
– Allow your child to help you plan your dinner meals -this way s(he) will have a yummy dinner to look forward to
SHOP FOR SUPPLIES
Make picking out school supplies a fun task!
– Create a list of school supplies with your child
– Plan a fun shopping trip to pick out supplies
ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO SHARE HIS OR HER FEARS
Talk to your child about his or her worries and practice coping skills
– Touch base with your child at a regular time each day to discuss your child’s worries and encourage him or her to problem solve and plan
– Role-play with your child
– Focus on the positive aspects – ask your child to list the three things that s(he)is most excited about on the first day
– Practice calm breathing with your child – s(he) can learn to use this when her anxiety rises
– Develop cognitive coping cards that your child can use to help cope with anxiety
A couple of days before school:
DO A DRY-RUN
Go to school several times – walking, driving, or taking the bus
– For young children, describe and draw out the route and include how long it will take
– For younger children, go to the schoolyard and play a few times before the first day of school
TOUR THE SCHOOL
For new students, take a tour of the school
– Show your child the classrooms, the cafeteria, and the bathrooms
– Meet your child’s teacher with your child present, if possible
PLAN THE OUTFITS
– Ask your child to help choose the outfits for the first week of school
– Let your child pick out his or her favorite outfit for the first day
PACK THE BACKPACK
– Together with your child, pack the backpack the night before, including treats
CHOOSE A SPECIAL OBJECT
– For younger children who are nervous about separating, suggest taking a special object to school that reminds him or her of home
– Put a reassuring note in a child’s lunch can also help ease separation anxiety
The first day of school:
WALK WITH A FRIEND
– Try and arrange that your child walks with a friend to school for the first couple of days
– Arrange play days with schoolmates leading up to the first day
TALK TO THE TEACHER
– Let the teacher know that your child has some separation anxiety
PRAISE AND REWARD
– Most importantly, praise and reward your child for brave behavior!
