Tips for Getting Ready to Go Back to School

I love the end of summer and back to school season. It is such a great time of year. Weather wise it is my favorite time of year as well. In the Midwest it cools down a bit so it is fun to play outside but snow is still far in the distance. I also enjoy this time of year because of the anticipation of a new school year. It is so fun to go shopping with my son and pick out new school supplies. It is hard to believe that my little guy is going to be a first grader this year! Here are some tips for getting reading to go back to school.

Have fun with the last part of summer break! Ask your kids what they still want to do while school is still on break. I know Cutie wants to go miniature golfing and would be bummed if we don't fit it in before school starts.

Make sure you get all the kid's school supplies together. We got the school supply list with report cards at the end of last year but some schools don't sent theirs out until now. Watch the back to school sales because you can definitely find bargains on most of the required supplies. I like to buy extras this time of year to keep around the house. I also send extras with my son's supplies to help out kids at my son's school that may need it.

Get on the school schedule a few weeks before school starts. If you are like us we let our son stay up a lot later in the summer than during the school year. The transition back to the school schedule will be much easier if you start it a bit before school begins. You don't want a sleepy kid for the first few weeks of school.

Have a plan for school day meals. We always shop for the week ahead and plan out our meals. It is so important for kids (and adults for that matter) to have a healthy breakfast for a good start to the day. Our son's hot lunches at school are not always the healthiest options so we usually allow him to pick one day per week to have hot lunch. The remaining days we pack his lunch so we know exactly what he is eating. Whatever you choose best to have a plan and that way kids will know what to expect and you won't be scrambling at the last minute.

Talk to your kids about what to expect. We have spent a lot of time talking to Cutie about how first grade is going to be a lot different than what he is used to in kindergarten. Kids do better when they know what to expect and hopefully that will ease some anxiety they may be feeling. There are some great books out there that may help kids feel more comfortable going back to school. The one I listed at the top of this post is called Rules For School by Alec Greven and is published by HarperCollins.

Hopefully you and your kids will have a smooth transition back to school this year. In the meantime enjoy the end of summer...it is the best time of the year!

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.