If you are like most parents, you can’t wait for summer vacation to come to an end. Of course, we all love spending quality time with our kids during the summer months, but when we have to balance work, housekeeping, and parenting, we quickly discover that having the kids around the house all day can be draining. When August rolls around, and parents across America begin to hear the constant, repeating words ‘What can I do? I’m bored.’ , then you know it’s almost time to send them back.
Before you send them off on the big yellow bus, be sure you’ve done everything necessary to prepare them for the school year ahead.
1. Shop for School Supplies
Most schools send home a laundry list of required school supplies that need to be purchased before returning to the classroom. As you and your child stroll the aisles for pencils, notebooks, calculators, rulers, yellow highlighters, loose-leaf paper, bottles of hand sanitizer, and (of course) Kleenex. To keep your child actively involved in the process, you can have them check off items on the shopping list, choose their own colors and styles of supplies, and even help plan a budget for the necessary items.
2. Update Your Child’s Wardrobe
Take inventory of what clothing your child has and needs before returning to school. Discard and shoes that have holes in them, ripped jeans, and stained clothing. Donate clothes that your child has outgrown to friends or family members that might be able to use the items. While there will be some items that can still be reused for the new school year, some items will no doubt need to be replaced. When you shop for new, back-to-school clothing, take your child with you. Not only will he or she fill you in on the latest trends and styles, you will also be able to have them try on clothes before you purchase them. This will save you a trip back to the store, because you won’t have bags full of items that did not fit correctly.
3. Visit the Pediatrician
The best time to have your child visit the pediatrician is before school starts. You will want to be sure all immunizations to be up-to-date, prescription medications are refilled, and you child has been given the healthy green-light to return to a regular routine with his or her classmates. Another great reason to visit the doctor during the summer months, is to avoid pulling your child out of school during the day for a physical.
4. Have Your Child’s Eyes Examined
Just like adults, children need regular eye exams. If your young one has trouble seeing the blackboard, it could greatly affect his or her grades at school. It is important for everyone to have an eye exam at least once a year. If your child needs glasses, this is the time to have the the prescription updated, and he or she can pick out a new pair of stylish frames so they can clearly see everything and everyone in their new classroom.
5. Time to See the Dentist
There is one more appointment you will have to make before your child starts back to school – the dentist. Kids need to have their teeth cleaned and inspected for cavities. Again, if you do it during the summer months, you child will not be missing valuable learning time because you have pulled them out of school during the day.
6. Visit the School Before the First Day
It is natural for children to be nervous about returning to school. They are wondering who their new teachers are, how they will find their way to the new classroom, and who their classmates will be. Take the anxiety out of day one by visiting the school with your child before the first day. Most schools will allow you to walk through the halls a day or two before class starts. Show your child how to find his or her new classroom, and your child may run into their new teacher, who may be in the process of setting up the classroom. If you visit the school early, you can also drop off medications in the nurse’s office, and introduce yourself to the principal. A quick visit to the school can put your child in the mood for going back.