Back-to-School Tips to Try Now!
Summer vacation will be winding down soon, a sad fact for kids and a call to rejoice for parents! But the first few weeks back to school can be a tough adjustment as everyone acclimates to a much different routine of getting up early, homework deadlines, and more structured daily regimens. Not to mention no more weekdays at the Overlook pool! The education experts recommend easing the transition by getting kids excited about the start of school and back in learning mode with these helpful tips.
Adjust Bedtime and Wake-Up Time
Children and teens need sleep in order to feel and learn their best. Kids between the ages of 6 and 13 need nine to 11 hours of sleep each night and teens require eight to 10. Here’s a tip from the experts: buy an alarm clock and make your sons and daughters responsible for their own wake-up call.
Start two weeks before the first day of school by having him or her set their alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual and physically get up and out of bed! Every day move the time up earlier (morning and night) in 10 to 15-minute increments until they are in bed at school-night hours and can wake up ready for the school day the next morning.
Get Back in Learning Mode
Even if your adolescent, tween or teen has been reading over the summer, encourage them to pick up a pencil and work on a few math problems or a writing exercise. Math Geek Mama has Skip Counting Hopscotch, math triangles and Kidoku puzzles on her site, and Reading Rockets has a few great ideas like writing a blog or a short community story.
Just Talk About It
If your child is anxious about starting a new grade, going to a new school, or going to kindergarten for the first time, talking about what’s scary can help. Ask what your child is worried about and what they are excited about. Try to get them thinking about the fascinating possibilities and what they might learn or do in different subjects.
One parent site suggests that you write down their responses (fears and dreads, hopes and dreams) before school starts, and then compare their answers to how they feel at the end of the year.
Today’s Parents offers six more ideas for helping a preschooler transition to kindergarten and Thought Co offers ways to prepare your middle schooler for high school.
Get Them Involved
Don’t go shopping without them, but let your child pick out their own school supplies, lunchbox, and first-day-of-school outfit to wear with a special pair of shoes. And whether your kids (or grandkids!) are attending Erie Elementary, Soaring Heights PK-8, or Erie Middle School take your child to the school and let them walk around so it doesn’t feel completely strange that first day.
Back to School in Colliers Hill!
The schools near the master-planned community of Colliers Hill are gearing up to welcome back children and teens for more exciting learning activities and sporting events. You too could call this amazing community home, with one of the inspiring designs from Meritage Homes, Shea Homes and Richmond American Homes. Tour all 15 spectacular models for your choice of ranch or two-story designs, priced from the upper $300s to the $600s.
