Written by: TFVstaff • October 23, 2019• In Our Schools

How to Smooth the Transition from Summer to School

Whether you spent your summer researching your local school catchment areas and filling in administration forms or this is the last year you need to worry about sending your child to school, the end of a lax summer schedule is never easy for the kids or the parents. The start of early wake-up times, homework, music lessons, and extracurriculars can throw everyone into a tailspin. Preparation is the key to success. You can smooth the transition with a few changes in the weeks and final days leading up to that first day of school.

Get on a Regular Sleep Schedule

This is one of the biggest ways to help your kids get back in school mode. They may have been staying up and waking up late all summer long. It can take a couple of weeks to adjust to a new bedtime, so start the change early. You can go cold turkey and move up bedtime while setting alarms to school wake up times. Or, you can use a gradual method where you move bedtime and wake up time by 15 to 30 minutes until you’re at the school schedule.

Buy School Supplies Early

Don’t procrastinate getting those school supplies. You don’t want to be the parent that’s driving from store to store trying to find a four-pack of whiteboard markers so your kid can get a sticker on the first day. You may also get better deals on expensive items like laptops and cellphones if you’re not scrambling after supplies have dwindled.

You don’t necessarily have to go to the store yourself. You can order online and have them delivered to your door or take advantage of some stores’ online ordering and in-person pickup. In the latter case, an employee does the shopping for you, so you don’t have to spend an hour trying to decipher if you’ve got the right brand of number two pencils.

Take a Tour

Whether your child is returning to an old school or starting somewhere new, a tour of the school can alleviate first-day anxiety. Many schools allow you to do this on a back to school night that takes place a few days before school starts. If not, call the school’s office and ask about bringing your child in to walk through the school. This can be especially helpful for junior high and high school students who have to find several classes on the first day.

Do a First Day Run Through

A day or two before it’s go time, do a full run-through. Practice setting alarms, making lunches, and getting out the door on time. If your kids will be walking to school, run through that as well. This is a good time to talk about safety and expectations. A run-through could show you where you might need some more preparation. For example, you may find out that a school jacket is too small or that all your cold packs got holes over the summer and leaked in the freezer.

Prepare the Night Before

Set out clothes, get backpacks ready, and pack lunches if possible. Make sure to find shoes and coats too. They’re easily forgotten until last minute and have a way of disappearing when you need them most. That first day is more stressful than normal, so the more you can do to ease your way through it, the better.

It can take a few weeks to really get back into a school routine, but preparing before it all begins can get your children physically and emotionally ready. Before long, you’ll be back into the routine, and your home will run like a well-oiled machine.

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