It may feel like the summer holidays have just begun, but its not too early to prepare for heading back to school. Before you know it, youll be sewing labels into new school uniform, polishing shoes and working on getting early nights in time for the new school year. Here are five useful tips to help you prepare, both mentally and physically, for heading back to school.
Shop for The Essentials as Soon as You Can
Shops are horrendous towards the end of August/first week of September. Stressed out mums and dads and worn out children are all clambering around the shops looking for school shoes, lunchboxes and uniform. Its hot, stuffy and the queues last a lifetime. You can avoid all of this by getting the shopping out of the way as quickly as possible. Look for deals, stockpile during sales and order all the personalised items online. You can avoid the hectic shopping trips entirely by using this one simple tip.
Start Reworking the Daily Schedule
Its lovely not having to worry about strict bedtimes and enjoying the odd lie in or two (child permitting). The only problem is that when it comes to going back to school, children can find it difficult to slip back into the ‘usual habits. The best way to avoid oversleeping during the first week of the new school year and lots of tears at bedtime is to change the bedtime routine at least two weeks before the first day.
Gradually reduce the bedtime hour and start getting the kids up earlier. Aim for between 5 and 15 minutes earlier each night and youll all feel fresh as a daisy before you know it.
Prepare the Children by Getting Them Involved
You could take care of everything single-handed, but wheres the fun in that? Get the kids to tell you what they would like as this will help them to prepare mentally for the upcoming change. Give them choices, what bag would they like? Do they want a personalised pencil case? Which are their favourite shoes? Just remember to read the schools rules on uniform and equipment before you begin shopping to avoid problems in the classroom.
Dont Forget to Label Everything!
Kids lose things all the time, they mistake their own things for other peoples and before you know it little Jimmy is wearing your sons socks and his pencil case is empty. Avoid problems with lost property by ensuring everything is labelled, from vests to lunchboxes. Personalising any back to school gifts and uniform also helps the school to return lost goods to the right person. This is a job that should not be ignored or left to the last minute.
Play School Games
An excellent way of preparing younger children for their first school year is to adopt some role playing. Set up a classroom, take the register and play through an imaginary day. Dont forget playtimes and lunch time, as well as a few simple tasks like colouring and reading.
These tips will help your child prepare for going back to school. It wont be long now, so make the most of the next few weeks, but start getting organised now to avoid tears later! There are many personalised gifts, perfect for back to school! Head over to our back to school range for our wonderful selection of personalised gifts.
