School Holidays Are Over. Lets Get Your Kids Back to School

It’s that time of the year again when your child is returning to school after the never-ending summer holiday. How do you prepare?

Getting Back To The Swing Of Things After The School Holidays

Late nights, daily ice cream van visits and endless snack requests are ending abruptly for the kids. Their un-structured, lengthy escape into the summer wilderness is over. Reverting to their usual mundane school routine may seem daunting as parents as you may have let discipline slip slightly. You have got used to loosening your grip on their bedtime and sugar calorie consumption.

So how do you get back into the swing of things?

The School Holidays Are Over And You Have Survived

Firstly. Relax. Take a breather. You are in the same boat as millions of other parents. You have survived the monster summer holidays. And so have your kids. Yes, your sense of humour and patience may have diminished somewhat, but hey, summer holidays will live long in the memory of our kids. Even if they ask for a snack three minutes after scoffing down their Weetabix. Or whether they want dinner at breakfast time.

The School Uniform

Most parents will probably get themselves worked up by rushing off on a wild school uniform goose chase to supermarkets. Before you do, take a walk in to your kid’s bedrooms and locate their school uniform from the previous academic year. In other words, clothes they wore six weeks ago. Get them to try it all on. If it fits and there are no obvious marks, I have saved you a stressful visit to Tesco.

A Good Polish And Clean May Just Do The Trick

Look at their school shoes. Examine them. Do they look OK to you? Give them a thorough polish and clean. I bet you they will come up better than you imagine. Another expensive trip to Clarke’s isn’t required. Obviously if they no longer fit, you are free to shop for alternatives, but I think you get the jist.

This is not being tight with money or sending your kids to school scruffy. It is simply saying to yourself, ‘they look absolutely fine in the uniform they have’.

This saves you the stress and frustration of turning up at the shops to realise they have sold out of most of the sizes you require.

Better still, maybe keep an eye on your school’s social media channels with posts relating to uniform for sale.

Right, that’s the uniform sorted.

Now for the kids.

Take A Balanced Approach

Try not to panic by force feeding them too much work in preparation for their first day back. Remember they have probably had a largely great time having a break from the curriculum. If you suddenly expect them to read five books a day for a week in preparation, then you may get a lot of protest.

Ease them back into the basics of reading, writing and mathematics. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself or your kids. They will soon pick up everything when they return.

Going back to school can be very daunting for children. It is important to create positivity about the return. Maybe think about going out for a family meal on the day before they are due to go back? It is a nice, relaxed way in showing them summer is over; now get back to school you toe-rags!

Prepare everything a week before they head back. Know that you have no more stationary shops or supermarket visits to attend to.

Patience Is Key

Final job is to get them back into their bedtime routine. Lower screen time consumption and get them back into their normal school night routines. It may be a waste of time doing this a week in advance, so just give it a go two or three nights previous.

And most of all, expect the first morning back to school to be an incredibly frantic one. It will be rush rush rush.

Try and be patient with yourself and the kids and simply laugh through the adversity of the dreaded first morning school run.

It will be fine…