Back to school doesn’t have to be stressful
Is your little one starting big school or do you have little ones going back to school to begin their new class? Every year brings an exciting new chapter in their lives, but it can also be a time to re-adjust as a family, especially after the holidays and spending so much time at home. Here we share some top tips for helping you and your little ones get organised and back into a routine, helping them, and helping you.
- Don’t leave uniform shopping too late Try not to leave uniform shopping until the last minute. We know how quickly they grow and the wish to leave things as close to going back to school as we can, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for or you’ve missed the sales, it can put additional pressure on you and take you away from enjoying those final few days together. Ask your school if they have a second hand school uniform shop, this can be a great way to save money and recycle pre-loved items.
- Label everything!!! There is nothing more infuriating than that brand new school logo cardigan going missing on day 1, but it happens. Taking a little time to label can save a long time hunting for missing items or shopping for replacements.
- Secure time together as a family, distraction free Find a moment to sit as a family and discuss starting/going back to school. Try and encourage excitement and all the super things they can look forward to, but use the opportunity to talk about teamwork and how you’ll help each other as a family, eg helping mummy/daddy make packed lunches, getting our things ready the night before, doing our homework etc.
- Homework prep Think about ways you can encourage them to read/do homework, this may involve setting up a nice quiet space for them to do it in or a reward chart or something similar, but it can help keep them focussed and inspired to do more.
- Get back into routines Try and get back into a bedtime routine, agreeing what time they’ll go and things you can do to settle them down, eg, bath, bedtime story, calming music, etc. Trying to get back into a routine the night before school goes back can be challenging, so try and do it at least a week before. Turning off devices a couple of hours before bedtime can be a big help too.
- Enable stress free mornings While we know when it gets late, you can be bursting to just head up to bed, but taking 10 minutes to set the table with breakfast items for the next morning, laying out uniform, packing bags and leaving them beside the door can really help make mornings less stressful.
- Accessing support from other parents Ask school or other parents if there are class specific WhatsApp or Facebook groups you can join. If there isn’t, why not set one up? Keeping in touch with other class parents can be a great sense of support.
- Ensure school admin time We know inboxes can be awash with school related messages, whether that be party invites, craft items they need to bring in, word of the week they need to learn, or a sudden change of PE day, it can be a lot to keep up with. Why not take a set moment each week to catch up on school admin and put key things in your calendar? If your child does a weekly class where you have to sit and wait for them, this can be the ideal time.
- Find out how your child’s day has been Make time to ask how your child’s day has been without them feel interrogated. We stick to 4 simple questions which they never seem to mind answering. 1. What was the best part of today? 2. Did anything or anyone make you feel a little sad or angry? 3. What was the yummiest thing you ate? 4. Tell us something kind you did to help someone today?
- Ask for help and support While we hope things run smoothly, there can always be times when things can be a little overwhelming. Exhaustion, struggling to find time for you, children not settling as you’d hoped, experiencing anxiety over their difficult interactions with others are just some of the things that you can experience, and all are perfectly normal. You never need to be alone, talking to other parents and asking for advice and support is so important. Remember, you can always ask for support in our Chat Group, you can even ask your question or for advice anonymously if you prefer. Never struggle, we’re all in this parenting journey together.
Treasure the little things A note to the parents with slightly older children…..during a chat with a lovely mum friend this week, she spoke about how their child’s behaviour changed when they went into year 6. Little things like no longer wanting to hold your hand or hug you goodbye at the gates, not wanting to chat about their day, and other changes that occur in children of that age. While every child is different, it made me realise how precious these little moments of holding hands and kisses goodbye are, so as a mum with a child just about to head into year 6, we for sure are going to treasure these moments for as long as we can.
Wishing you and your mini mumblers a great start back, and here’s to a super academic year for you all!
