Every year parents say the same thing when September arrives: “Finally!” or “Already!?” The beginning of another school year means the return to a familiar school routine for some families. For others it begins a whole new chapter when little ones start school for the very first time. Here at Mudpies & Melodies we have Miss J starting Junior Kindergarten and Lady V. off to her second year of Preschool. Here are a few ideas we had to help make those school mornings more calm than chaotic.
School Gear:
- Gear is an important aspect of back to school. The flyers are filled with things you “must buy”. Try not to send your child with a backpack that is too big or too small. Have little ones practice being able to put their own lunch box in and out of their school bag.
- Do not send them in shoes they cannot tie, no matter how cute they look! It takes away that bit of independence from the kids and you may not mind tying one pair of shoes, but as a teacher, having to tie a dozen pairs each day makes life a bit crazy.
- Velcro shoes make life easy for kids and enable them to hit the playground sooner! Obviously if your child is older and knows how to tie their own shoes, velcro shoes are definitely not cool.
- School gear for older kids and youth has to be something they like so they will use it and take care of it through the school year.
Lady V. on her first day of preschool wearing her too-big-for-her backpack.
A much better fit with a smaller toddler-sized back pack.
Label Everything!
- Start with clothing and shoes. Younger children especially will not recognize their clothing when it is in a lost and found bin at school.
- Older children and youth will not WANT to recognize their clothing…once it hits that bin it becomes tainted I think. At least if it is labeled you can rescue those expensive new sneakers from the bin before you are forced to buy a new pair!
- We use Mabels Labels for their great allergy awareness labels and they have awesome school packs filled with enough stickers to easily label your way through the school year. I love their skinny mini labels for pencils & markers.
Finally, The Night Before:
- As part of our bedtime routine, I set out two mutually agreed upon outfit options for Lady V. She can be a bit opinionated when it comes to her stylish outfits, so this is an important step for us.
- It is also a great idea to get your breakfast ready. Yes I said breakfast. I have a cousin that would set the table each night for breakfast the next morning: placemats, dishes, spoons, boxes of cereal. In the morning he would just add milk & juice and make toast. It meant the boys could easily start their own breakfast while the parents were finishing their own morning routine, brilliant!
We would love to hear your tips and tricks on what makes your school day run smoothly. Happy First Days of School!
For Further Reading:
“The most important lessons in preparing your child for school start years before they actually don their new uniform and pack their school bag for the first time.” Essential Kids offers insight into how to prepare your preschoolers for their future.
Parenting Magazine shares their top 5 ways to prepare your child for back-to-school during the summer months. Despite the fact that this post is geared for summertime, there are some simple, awesome things you and your child(ren) can do to help them build confidence and feel ready for school.
Green Child Magazine’s current “Back to School 2012″ issue is full of great ideas from recipes to organization to talking with and preparing your children for their first days back to school. “Traditional school, homeschool, or anything in between, we’re all looking to make the learning experience a little greener.You’ll find ways to ease back into routines – making mornings, after school, dinner time, and bedtime smooth and free from drama”
Other “Back To School” Posts:
Back to School: Morning Routine
Back To School: Easy Lunch Prep
Back To School: After-School
