Back to School - Preparing For That First Day
With Labor Day quickly approaching and the summer almost over, stores are heavy into marketing their fall clothing and back to school wares. With the start of the school year for Rockland County, NY just a few short weeks away (September 6 & 7) it's time to think about getting organized for the new school year and preparing for that first day of school.
Making that transition from those "lazy hazy days of summer" to the regimented schedule of the school year is never easy. But here are some great suggestions about how to help your family make that transition a smoother one and hopefully reduce the craziness and chaos associated with those first back to school mornings.
- Ease your kids back into a school year routine. Beginning a few days before school starts have them go to bed and get up around the times they'd need to on regular school nights.
- For the days and weeks before school starts, plan mealtimes and snack times to mimic the school schedules.
- Make a list of emergency phone numbers for each child to keep in their backpacks.
- Review school rules with your children.
- Label all items that will be taken to school regularly.
- Create a home work space for homework and school projects
- Review house rules for school days: homework schedule, bed times, dinner times, after school activities
- Create a dedicated space for every family member, to store their books, papers, lunch money and permission slips, and anything else they might need for the upcoming day.
- Create a family calendar of every ones schedules and keep it in a central location. Track everyone's after-school activities, school programs and volunteer work on it. It's a sure way to help manage every ones time and activities and prevent double booking.
Being prepared goes a long way towards reducing the hecticness of that first day of school, so plan ahead. Hopefully you'll be able to convert those crazy chaotic mornings into calm and cheerful ones and send your schoolchildren out the door in a happy mood.
Here's wishing you and your family a wonderful new school year!
Photobucket photo by tlhoneyman
