Preparing for Back to School

Summer is coming to an end, and with that goes the lazy mornings, unscheduled days, and carefree nights.  It is important to get your kids back into their school routine well before the first day.  That means earlier bedtimes, earlier wake up calls, and even organizing their back to school stuff.

Here are a few ways you and your kiddos can get ready for a great school year!

1. Reset your school schedule.  It is important to get your kids adjusted to their school bedtimes, so that they are able to wake up earlier.  Getting enough sleep is extremely important to your kids overall health, and how they perform in school.  It is recommended that kids ages 3-5 get at least 11-13 hours of sleep per night, kids ages 5-12 get at least 10-11 hours per night, and kids ages 12-18 get at least 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep per night.  If your child has a hard time waking up in the morning, wants naps during the day, or lacks interest, then they might not be getting enough sleep at night.
2. Make sure your child feels confident.  Visiting their classroom before school starts, meeting their new teacher, knowing who is in their class, are all things that you can do as a parent to help ensure that your kids school year starts off great.  Also letting your child buy a few new school items can help boost their self-esteem.  Whether that be clothing or a new back-pack, if your kid feels good that will in turn show in their behavior and attitude at school!
3. Get organized.  Don’t wait until the night before to tackle your kid’s school supply list, or even the weekend before for that matter.  Waiting until the last minute will not only leave you the parent feeling stressed, but it can also be stressful to the kids as well.  Remember the items that are on your child’s list are probably on every other child’s list in that grade!

We hope that with these 3 tips, everyone will have a great start to their new school year!