Time flies when you’re having fun! Back-to-school season is just around the corner and it’s time to start packing lunches and buying books. As soon as you got used to having the little ones at home for the summer, it’s time to send them back to school. After a months of adjusting to your child’s new schedule, you may have lost your groove. Slip back into your school routine easily with these tips and tricks to make the summer to school transition seamless.

Review and Refresh
After a few months at home, chances are your child has completely forgotten everything they learned in the previous year. Help refresh your child’s memory by playing review games with them so they are prepared to take on the new year. To brush up on foundational vocabulary, play classic games like charades, Pictionary, or hangman. To review math problems and formulas, challenge your child to a times table speed round or look up some online games for them to play. Most importantly, if your child has summer reading assignments, check on their progress to make sure everything is complete by the beginning of the school year.

Recharge
The hardest part of a busy day is actually starting it. As the school season begins again suddenly wake up time moves from noon to 7 a.m., rolling out of bed may be harder than usual. To avoid slow starts to your first few back-to-school days, prepare in advance for the early mornings. Instead of hitting snooze, start your child’s school bedtime and wake up routine one to two weeks before school starts to get them back into the swing of things.

Game Plan
Before hitting the road, it is essential to check both the weather and the traffic. Plan out the fastest route to get your kids to school and yourself to work by tuning your car radio to 88.3 or turning up your Z88.3 app and listen out for traffic alerts on local roads. Also, follow @Z883FM on X for daily weather updates to stay informed about any lingering summer storms that may come your way.

Schedule it Out
To-do lists and calendars are essential for keeping track of all the chaos that comes with raising a family. Try implementing a family planner that everyone can write on to make sure tasks don’t overlap. This way, you can make time for both your hectic schedule and your child’s schedule without the uncertainty of whether or not you’ll be able to get it all done. Go high-tech and download a group calendar app like Time Tree or stick to good old fashioned pen and paper. As you go through your day, check off all of your accomplishments one by one until your schedule is finally clear.

Inspire Success
After spending so much time at home, it may be difficult to cut the tether between you and your child, even if it is only for a few school hours. While parents may struggle with watching their child walk away and into the classroom, the exciting process can be just as scary for the child. To ease your child’s first day jitters, allow them to take a small comforting item with them to help carry them through the day. As an added measure to help your child feel even more comforted, tuck a note with a silly joke or a few encouraging words reminding them of how much you love them and how proud of them you are. This simple gesture can provide the right amount of motivation to get your child through the second half of the school
day.

By: Jenna Greaves