It’s likely they’re dreading it, you might not be able to wait. What are we talking about? The start of the new school year, of course! It’s a time of change for all kids, whether they’re just going up a year in their current school or starting a brand new one, it can be a challenging time, but also a very exciting one! As a parent, it’s likely you’ll want to do everything you can to best prepare your kids for going back to school. After a long summer filled with late nights, lay-ins, fun and frolics, the sudden return to responsibility and routine can be hard, so we’ve come up with some ideas to ease them into it, to ensure the transition is as pain and stress-free for everyone involved as possible! 

Get the kids involved in back to school shopping

When supermarkets are heaving with busy parents rushing to make sure they’ve got everything they need to send their kids off to school, it might be tempting to leave the kids at home in order to get it done as quickly as possible. But by bringing them along and getting them involved in uniform shopping, stationery shopping and food shopping for lunchboxes, it will allow the excitement about going back to school to start building early. Kids won’t be able to wait to wear their brand new uniform or use their new pens and pencil cases. Making an event out of what is normally considered a chore is also a great way to get everyone out of the house!

Create a reward system

School comes with a number of responsibilities, from making sure you’re there on time in the morning to completing homework on time and making sure things like PE kits and supplies for classes are organised and ready. A great way to encourage kids to take their responsibilities around school seriously is to create a reward system for when they have fulfilled these responsibilities. Set out their expectations – for example ‘be in bed by 9pm’ or ‘prepare lunchbox for tomorrow’ and mark on a chart when these tasks have been completed. If they make it through a whole week doing everything they need to do, they get a reward! Starting this early will help them prepare for being back in a routine which will reduce stress levels for everyone!

Create a homework zone

While they may not like it, homework is a reality for most kids, and as a parent, you need to be making it clear to them that it is a non-negotiable part of family life that that homework gets done. While you might think it mad that this idea is included as a ‘fun’ idea to prepare for school, anything can be made fun with the right attitude! If you’ve taken the time to create a homework zone in your house and get the kids involved in personalising it to how they want it, it will help register in their heads that a) homework is important and b) they have a designated area to do it in, and once it’s done they can enjoy doing whatever they want to do. It’s a brilliant habit to foster in kids at a young age – responsibility first, then you can have way more fun after!

Create goals for the year

Get your family excited about the fresh start that the new school year brings by setting goals. Ask your kids three things that they’d love to achieve by the end of the academic year. It might be reading a difficult book, or passing a certain exam with flying colours – it can be anything! Parents should get involved too, helping everyone to view the new school year not as a chore but as an opportunity to achieve something that might not have been possible in the previous school year. 

Celebrate the end of summer

As a parent, it’s super important to constantly try to project positivity. If your kids are sad about the end of summer and the start of the school year, make a point to celebrate the fantastic summer you’ve had. Get everyone together and remember the good times you had and make plans for what you want to do next summer. 

We hope some of the ideas above will be enjoyed by you and your family! They say school represents the best years of your life, so keeping positive and getting your kids excited about learning, seeing all their friends again and growing up, in general, is a fantastic way to start the new school year off properly! Good luck to all the students starting back in the next few days!