Parenting Pointers: Back-to-School

It's now August, which means many teachers are heading back to school soon, and soon after that, the kids will be too. My daughter will be going to preschool for the first time this year. We've gotten her a backpack and she's really excited whenever we talk about school.

HarperCollins and TwitterMoms are sponsoring a blogging contest to raise awareness of some of their back-to-school readiness books and a back to school sweepstakes.

What are your tips for getting your kids ready for school? There are two big things we're doing. First, we're going to start waking her up at the time we'll need to get going during the school year. Right now she sleeps until 8:30 or so, but she'll need to wake up at 7:15. It shouldn't be a huge adjustment - right now she doesn't nap, and she'll have a naptime in preschool. Our second thing is going to be working with her to have a "rest time" in the middle of the day, since she's not used to napping and I don't want her to be a problem during the state-mandated rest time. Third, since she'll be getting two snacks at preschool, we're going to phase out bedtime snack (right now she only gets bedtime snack outside of meals, but I don't think she'll need it with two preschool snacks).

From a teacher's perspective, there are a few other things you can do to get your kids ready. Getting back in the habit of early rising is a good thing, so their bodies can adjust. Making sure they have all the required school supplies is another biggie - teachers don't like to have to provide extras for every kid in the classroom. And finally, get kids mentally ready. If there's a back-to-school or meet-the-teacher night, take advantage of it so your kids can find their way around the building more easily.

Also, encourage your kids to advocate for themselves in age-appropriate ways. Preschool and kindergarten kids need to know how to ask for things nicely, and how to ask for something from a teacher without whining. Elementary kids are old enough to recognize what to do in bullying situations, and to speak up for themselves if they don't understand things. Students with special needs can also often begin to advocate for themselves sometimes during the elementary years, although this differs depending on the needs of the child. Middle school and high school kids need to learn how to handle peer pressure and self-esteem issues. Self-awareness and advocacy are important skills for all of life, and school is the perfect training ground to build those skills.

What do you do to get your kids ready for school?


“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms blogging program to be eligible to get a HarperCollins book set. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”