Ready or not, school is about to start for another year. For some parents this will come with a sigh of relief, but for others a sadness or anxiety about the conveyor belt of life cranking up once more.
Regardless of which camp you are in, there are a few things you can do to ensure that the start of your year kicks off smoothly.
- Be prepared. I’m talking about the material side of things. Make sure you have your bags packs, your lunch boxes ready (and they know how to open them!) and your uniform washed and ironed. There is nothing worse than starting a new week (and in this case a new year) chasing your tail.
- Be positive. Even if you are feeling hesitant about a teacher, other children in your child’s class or the school in general, don’t let your child overhear you saying negative things. This will easily influence your child – and who knows, those worries you have may not even materialise?
- Be energised. If your child has been having late nights and LOTS of screen time on holidays, it’s time to start readjusting. Be open and honest with your kids about why these habits need to change in order to be switched on for school.
- Be explicit with routines. Now is the time to sit down together and work out what jobs need to be done each morning, what kind of food is ok for lunch boxes, when you will be able to fit in homework… the more organised you are with this stuff, the smoother your life will be. Making a job chart (like facebook.com/kidschecklist/ ) will formalise this process and increase accountability and consistency each day.
- Be emotionally available. If your child is feeling anxious about starting or returning to school listen to their concerns sympathetically. Try and avoid telling them how to feel or what to say… remember it’s their journey to take.
The new year can be the perfect time to kickstart good habits and reassess things that weren’t working so well last year.
Wishing all school goers and their families a great start to 2019.