Organizing for Back to School
It is that time of year again and whether you have a child in Elementary, High school or going off to College or University, you need a plan for the next few weeks.
Elementary
Make sure you have any childcare arrangements made so there are no surprises on the first day. When it is your child’s first year at school and the first time for before or after school, you may need to take them to that babysitter for an afternoon for them to get familiar with a new place.
Go over safety issues of coming to and from school and have a code that only you and your child know for picking him or her up.
Make a spot for when they come home, they unload their back pack – dishes go in the sink, lunch pail goes away, homework goes in a specific spot and back pack goes away. This way when it is time to do homework we know where everything is.
Check over their clothes to make sure they have what they need, mending is done, pants are hemmed and a fall jacket is ready for the cool mornings.
Check over school supplies and get what they do not have for this new year. Staples store has a great list for all grades.
The last week before school starts, gradually get them into the proper sleeping pattern for back to school.
Go over the daily routine for morning and night, have a check list if your children are at the age this works and have a reward system.
Establish weekday rules, after a summer of freedom and not so much structure it is good to remind them when they are back to school we need more of a routine.
Do your best to get caught up on all the laundry and house work the week before school so your evenings can be devoted to getting everyone back on track the first week. There is so much that starts in September we have to keep focused and organized.
Most of all make this a happy, organized and memorable time for your children.
Next time we will talk about high school, college and university.
