Back to School Preparation
Heading back to school can be difficult for any kid. The transition from summer to school can cause lots of anxiety and upset — for us, parents and our kids, too!
This list is Very helpful for kids who worry about going back to school.
To make back to school an easier time – and even downright enjoyable – we here at Fuzzymama have put together a back to school checklist of the best, time-tested stuff to help get your kids thru this transition.
1. Give kids the feeling of control!!
Your kids may be enjoying their last few weeks of loafing around, but it helps everyone concerned if they help with the preparations of school. Doing things like shopping for back to school supplies and new shoes starts to change their mindset and makes them feel prepared.
By giving them some decision making opportunities you are building their confidence and feelings of being in control. With so many things about school that they have no control over, it’s nice for them to know they can be in charge of at least a few things.
Give your kids a choice in these simple ways:
- Let them choose their favorite breakfasts and lunches those first couple of days,
- Kids can choose when to go to locker day/orientation day.
- Will they bike, walk, or drive the first day?
- They can pick out their first day outfit, shoes, etc
- Make school supply choices when possible.
- Choose a few special activities the last days of summer.
- They can pick out a little welcome treat for the teacher. (Highly suggested coming from this teacher!)
Sprinkle these opportunities for choice making over the weeks leading up to the first day of school. No need to overwhelm them with decisions during back to school time.
2. Get the supplies YOUR child needs
This can be one of the most important back to school tips for all kids, whether they have special needs, or not.
Obviously all schools have a supply list that you are required or encouraged to get. You may already know what works best for your kid – and it may not be on the list.
the required list of supplies may not be the best thing for your kiddo.
Do not be afraid to ask for modifications for your child right away – at parent orientation or even before school starts.
Even if it’s not specified in a 504 or IEP, most teachers and school staff are very accommodating when it comes to supplies. Perhaps your kiddo still needs wide-ruled paper or works best with a certain brand of pencils.
Go school supply shopping in two sessions, so it’s not so overwhelming.
Kids can help! I give each of my kids 1/2 of their list and they try to find the needed supplies. Make it a fun activity that the kids look forward to year after year.
Don’t forget to pick up supplies for home too, so you can be certain to have what’s needed for homework or school projects.
3. Set up a study space
It is so important for each of your kids to have their own dedicated study space – preferably within earshot of you. Somewhere you can keep your eyeballs on them, too.
We want our kids to be as independent as possible with their learning, but some kids need lots redirection to stay on task while doing schoolwork.
Set up a study space in the weeks leading up to school, so they’ll be ready to go.
Find a space where they are comfortable, but also where their computer or phone use can be easily monitored. It’s helpful to have supplies close by or in a caddy that can be moved around.
My kids mostly use the kitchen table and a sofa in the next room. A lot of their work is done on a computer now, so most days, all they need is a plug!
4. Ponder the Big Schedule Change to Come.
Sit down as soon as you can and familiarize yourself with next year’s school schedule. Write dates down on a large family calendar for all to see. Discuss these dates as a family.
It can help your kiddo’s anxiety tremendously to do a bit of a preview and talk about your schedule a few days-even weeks- in advance so there are no surprises.
There may be many things about your schedule that will change as school grows closer. Bedtimes, waking times, meal times,
Which leads us to……
5. Get Back Into a Routine
All of these changes mean getting back into a new routine – it’s one of the things I love best about going back to school.
Everything runs so much smoother with a routine
Kids know what to expect and what the expectations are for them, so there’s less nagging and reminding. WIN!
You might have kept some of your routine in place during summer, but surely the school year offers a great opportunity to get back to your familiar routine or modify it a bit to adapt to the new school year.
ADHD kids thrive on a routine. Having the same things to do each day helps build their executive functioning and gives them confidence and a feeling of independence they may not get in other areas of their lives.
consider these as you build your routine for the school year:
- Rising time, breakfast time, packing lunches,
- Morning hygiene – teeth brushing, showering, face washing, deodorant, getting dressed
- Morning commute – walk, bike or ride the bus,
- After school stuff – unpack backpacks, snack, homework time, dinner time,
- Bedtime – teeth brushing, time to read, family time
- If you only do one thing now: Get your kids to bed earlier. This one simple thing can have a huge ripple effect. They will be waking up earlier, which in turn will mean going to bed earlier — you see what I mean?
6. Start Getting Things Ready the Night Before
While this may seem obvious, getting things ready the night before did not become part of our routine until last year. With middle school came a ridiculously early start time and so things were much more rushed in the morning.
Which led to many a preteen meltdown.
Getting things started the night before creates Calm mornings.
Less rushing means a less anxious kid. It’s now the most important part of our routine.
Make lunches, get backpacks ready and set them by the door, set out clothes, take a shower…starting this right off the bat will create a super helpful routine for you and your child.
7. Attend Back to School Activities
There are usually a few opportunities to get kids into school even before the first day- Locker Day, End of Summer Bash, Supply Drop-off Night. Even high schoolers can come and walk thru the halls before the first day.
Whether it means being back on familiar ground or learning all about a new school, visiting the school before the big day will definitely calm nerves. It always helps to see familiar faces or get to know a few new ones.
If you school does not offer any pre-school activities, call and arrange for a tour or ask if you can drop off supplies before the first day.
8. Get Support in Place Early
If you have a kiddo with some special needs, now is the time to start thinking about getting support in place for the school year. Here are a few ideas, but I have a bigger post dedicated to lots of ideas for getting extra support for your kiddo in place before school starts(or during those first few weeks).
Do these if your child needs extra support:
- It’s best to meet your child’s teacher (or counselor) face to face (even if this means online). Take advantage of back to school nights and orientations to have you and your child begin to get comfortable with their classroom and teacher.
- If your school does not have an orientation night early on in the year, send a quick email introducing yourself and your child. Teachers love to get as much information about a student as possible. Any insight you can give into how your kid works is so helpful.
- Set up a meeting with the school psychologist – either online or in person. Update any changes that have happened over the summer and express how grateful you are to be working with them this year.
- Set up meetings to modify a 504 or IEP. Contact the school psychologist to set up a meeting to be preventative. Talk about any changes over the summer or any modifications that may need to be made.
- Talk with your family therapist.If you have a therapist that you see regularly, make sure to schedule an appointment close to the beginning of school to talk about any anxiety that may crop up.
9. Plan your Snacks (& Lunches & Breakfasts…)
Going back to school means time to get back in the groove of packing lunches and having lots of healthy after school snacks to fuel your kiddo’s brain.
Finding the right healthy, packaged snacks is easy! We’ve got a big list here of both nut free and nut-full snacks. It’s also a great idea to sit down and make a list of what kids would like their lunches to look like.
Getting in a great breakfast can often make or break a morning at school. Kids benefit from a high protein, high fat, low sugar breakfast. Think eggs, bacon, leftover dinner, Avocado Toast, Oatmeal with protein powder. We have a few favorites we continually rotate.
10. Have Helpful Conversations With Your Child.
Starting back up at school is a big transition time that stirs up a lot of feelings. Don’t be afraid to initiate conversations about feeling nervous. Nervousness is normal, but some kids definitely feel it more than others.
Engineer the time and space to have those conversations – they won’t happen unless YOU make them happen.
Initiate more one on one time in the days leading up to school. Tell stories about yourself feeling nervous about school.
Try asking things like, “What are your worries about the first day of school?” ,
“Are you nervous about anything in particular?”
“What are you feeling in your body when you think about school?”
“Is there someway that I can help ease your jitters?”
Don’t dwell in the negative. Be as positive as you can about school. This one is BIG–Kids do what you DO, NOT what you say. So show some enthusiasm and excitement about the first day of school.
These feelings are catchy. If they see your excitement and enthusiasm, they may wonder what all their worrying was about!
