If you’ve waited this long to go back-to-school shopping, may the force be with you.
Be prepared to dig through Halloween candy and costumes to get to the pencils, notebooks and binders featured on your child’s school supply list.
Retailers have no mercy on procrastinating parents. Most erected their school supply displays at 12:01 a.m. on July 5th. Heaven forbid you dared to actually savor the season outside with your family at that time instead of huddling around shelves covered with highlighters and glue sticks.
Tardy shoppers are now being forced to employ a GPS to find pink erasers and black Sharpies amongst August’s green and red Christmas decorations. Such is the life of moms and dads as the new school year quickly approaches.
The transition from slothful summer living to chaotic academic life is challenging for kids and parents alike. Consequently, it pays to ease into a new school year. Doing so allows the entire family to manage adjustments with as little drama as possible.
While there are hundreds of different tactics you can take to ensure a smooth transition from a laid-back summer schedule to a high-octane school-driven agenda, I’ve found the following proactive techniques work best for my family:
Calendar Central: Nothing helps calm the chaos associated with back-to-school clutter than a massive dry erase board and calendar. The board is affixed to a wall near the kitchen, so that it can’t be missed by anyone in our house. It includes information about my child’s teacher, school rules, parent volunteer opportunities, emergency contact forms, sign-up sheets for after-school sports and other extra-curricular activities, as well as the academic calendar and field trip dates. It’s a one-stop shop for all things school related. What’s more, the magnetic white board set-up makes for easy additions and revisions.
Designated Drop-Off/Pick-Up: Not for the kid, for his stuff. If your child is anything like mine, she’ll wait until the bus is at the end of the driveway to inform you that her backpack is MIA. The week before school starts I designate a spot in our front hallway that is off limits to anything besides my daughter’s backpack and lunch box. She is mandated to set both on the selected bench upon entering our home after school. This is where they remain until the next morning when they are transported with the child back to school. My daughter is responsible for emptying both the backpack and lunch box at the end of the day and refilling them the next morning before school.
What other ways do you ease back into your school routine?
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