Lyndsey Get the best tips for success this back-to-school season, along with printable checklists for supplies, clothes, and to-do items! Back-to-School success with less stress.
Some of us don’t want to hear these words, while others have been waiting patiently (or impatiently) for this time to come back quickly. Either way, it’s time to start thinking about preparing for back-to-school! Preparing for back-to-school can be very stressful, and it can be challenging getting your kids buy in. School is going to happen either way, so being prepared and ready for the return can help to make this shift much easier.
Although I love the summer months, I have the face the cold hard truth that Summer will soon be coming to an end, and back-to-school time is approaching. The best thing we can do is prepare earlier so there is less stress leading up to the start of school, and more flexibility to end Summer on a peaceful and fun note.
Are you ready for back-to-school? If you are, wonderful! Make sure you look over this list to see if there is anything you may have forgotten. If not, don’t fret, I have you covered. Make sure to get the free printable check lists for supplies, clothes and all the to-do’s before the first day back!
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Tips For Success with Back-to-School
Are you ready for the best tips for success for back-to-school? Every school and grade can be slightly different on requirements for starting. These tips should cover all schools and grades, and come straight from my printable to-do list. If you haven’t downloaded these free printable, be sure to do it now! You can find them below.
Start a Set School Schedule
Get your family started on a back-to-school schedule. Start adding structure and scheduling back into your day with set bed times (if it applies), and set times to wake up. Make sure your kids and family start getting accustomed to wake up times, and getting ready before breakfast. Get up, get dressed, brush teeth, and then incorporate breakfast. This will help to determine what times you all need to get up in order to be ready on time. This is especially important for younger kids.
Start a routine for evenings as well so that your kids know what to expect. When will you eat dinner? When will school work be done? Tip: you can use the school work time as review time in the summer. When is it time for baths or showers? What will bedtime be? If you have a large household, shower schedules can be very helpful!
Many psychologists say it can take up to 2 months to create new schedules. That would take over half the summer break! Instead, start a routine at least 2-3 weeks prior to the start of school (the more time, the better success).
If you work better off of paper, you can print off the blank daily planner below to set up a visible schedule for creating this routine!
Get School Supplies and Clothes Shopping Done
Get the school supplies and clothes shopping done and out of the way early. This will allow time to determine if other items are needed prior to school. This will also allow you time to enjoy the remainder of your summer without cramming all the back-to-school tasks into a couple of weeks.
In an effort to make this process as easy as possible for you, I have created The Ultimate and Easiest School Supplies List 2023 | Grades K-12. You can find a detailed list of items that should cover most schools supply requirements in one place.
I have also created an “all in one” shopping list with quick buy options for top rated, an my favorite, back to school items for each grade group. You can find the store here for easy access.
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Schedule Any Needed Medical Appointments
Some schools require a physical to be completed each year before school starting. Some schools only do this periodically. If your child plans on participating in sports, they may require a sports physical to be completed. Some schools require up to date dental check-ups. Additionally, if you are vaccinating, you will want to be sure your child’s vaccines are up to date. These are all things that are easily forgotten, and can cause stress prior to the school year starting.
Make sure to determine if any medical visits will be needed prior to the start of school, and get them scheduled and out of the way.
Determine School Start/End Times and Bus Times
You can log into your school parent account, go to the school websites or contact the administration office to determine school start and end times. A lot of times, bus routes aren’t determined until very close to the beginning of the school year. Make sure you are keeping an eye out for this information so you can adjust your schedule accordingly.
The last thing anyone wants is to miss the bus, or be late to school, on the first day!
Review Prior Curriculum
It’s always good to keep your kids learning through the summer break, but it can be difficult! Especially when the weather is nice, so many activities are planned, and the summer just flies by. I totally understand. If you haven’t had the opportunity to have continued learning through the summer, you will want to have your child start reviewing last years curriculum. This doesn’t have to be an in depth review, but it can be helpful when gearing back up for the next year.
Work on reading, writing, math, anything that can be reviewed easily at home. Don’t make it stressful! As I had suggested above, use the “homework time” of your daily routine as a time to review before school starts up again.
If you have Kindergarteners going into first grade, be sure to have them practice writing and spelling their names again.
Have a Plan for Meals and Snacks
If your kid is in the younger elementary school grades, they will likely have a snack time. Not all schools provide these snacks. Make sure to have a plan on what snacks are allowable, and what you will be providing for your child. This can be difficult sometimes, trying to find somewhat healthy snacks that aren’t too messy, can be in a backpack, and don’t have allergens.
We Are Teachers has some great snack ideas in their post 25 Yummy School-Approved Healthy Snacks for Kids.
Also, make sure to have a plan for lunches. Will your child be bringing their lunch? Will your child be eating school lunches? How will you be funding their school lunch accounts? If you are having your kids bring their lunch, make a plan on what lunches they will have and be sure to grocery shop prior to the start of school.
Happiness is Homemade has provided some fun and delicious lunch ideas in their post 25+ School Lunch Ideas for Kids.
If you have kids that are in a lot of sports or extracurriculars, it will also be very beneficial to plan out simple, easy and quick dinners for the busy nights to come.
Label Clothing and Items Ahead of Time
This is especially important for the younger kids, but labeling the easier to lose items for older kids doesn’t hurt either! By easy to lose items I am talking about the ones they take off (coats, gloves, boots, etc.). You don’t want to be like us, and have your kid losing every item under the sun and needing new because you forgot to label them.
You can label clothing, garments and other items with these no-iron self-sticking washer and dryer safe labels! I am all about making things as simple as possible, so these are great! Try not to label the outside of your kids jackets and outwear, use these labels to keep it on the inside instead.
Practice Daily Life Skills
Have you kids practice their daily skills, especially for the younger ones. Make sure they can put their own winter gear on. Have them practice zipping their coats, buttoning their shirts or pants, opening their lunch boxes, filling their own water, washing their hands, wiping themselves, etc. These are all items that a teacher would need to do for 20+ students if every single one needs assistance. They won’t have the time to do it all.
For older kids, talk through and have them practice coping skills for stress. Middle school and high school can be really tough years on your kids. Bullying, self-esteem issues, increased school work and many other factors can contribute to stress for older kids. Be sure to walk them through intentional methods to reduce stress and increase happiness and self-esteem. Help them with coping mechanisms such as journaling, sports, meditation, and breathing.
It may sound silly, and they probably won’t like it, but it can be so helpful. There is a good chance they will use the coping mechanisms, but of course they won’t tell you if they do.
Get Your Kids Excited for School!
For older kids, this will be hard. They already know what to expect. If they are having negative attitudes towards returning to school, try to help them remember the things they enjoy about it.
For younger kids, getting excited about school can be much easier! A wonderful idea for building excitement for back-to-school is a back-to-school countdown. Our Tiny Nest created a very simple and joyful idea in the post back-to-school countdown that includes small tasks and to-do’s for your kid to prepare for their first day back.
For Kindergarteners starting their first day of school, there is a really cute idea for “Jitter Glitter”. A lot of times this is something teachers would provide to their students, but it’s something you could customize for your kid as well. Take a look at this idea on Teach Junkie, in their post Jitter Glitter Back to School Freebie.
If you have any questions, please be sure to drop them in the comments below. I will get back to you as soon as possible with responses. If you have additional information or ideas, please feel free to share them with the community!
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Hi Lyndsey!!! I love this post! I can’t believe it’s already almost time to be thinking of back to school! These are all great tips! And thank you so much for sharing my back to school countdown!
Thank you, I am glad that you enjoyed it! I didn’t really want to start thinking about back-to-school yet, but the time is approaching, so I wanted to be sure to help everyone else get geared back up too! I am so happy I found your post on the back-to-school countdown, it’s such a great idea! I am excited to include it in my tips.
Such great tips. What are some creative ways to help my child get excited about going back to school? He is so reluctant.
Hi Sarah, thank you so much! There are a couple things to consider first… how old is he? Do you know if there is a specific reason he is reluctant? What has he enjoyed about school? I can help to come up with some ideas, I just need a better understanding first.
Doesn’t seem possible that it is that time yet! Great tips, thank you for sharing with Whimsy Home Wednesday. Enjoy the rest of your summer.
I know, I agree! I am not ready for back-to-school, but I don’t want to get caught in a bind either!
You enjoy the rest of your summer too.
Thanks for all the wonderful resources!!
Of course! Thank you for visiting.
These are great tips. How quickly the holidays whizz by. Thanks for linking at Is This Mutton
It is amazing how quickly the time goes on breaks. Thank you for hosting a wonderful link up!
Thank you so much for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home.
Thank you so much for hosting a wonderful link up!
So many great reminders all in one place. Thanks for putting this together and for sharing with us on the Homestead Blog Hop. I appreciate it and hope to see more this Wednesday.
Hi Kelly, thank you for stopping by and checking out my post! Thank you for hosting, and I will definitely be back if I can get some new content up.
[…] Are You Ready for Back to School? Best Tips for Success! […]