Back to School!

The summer holidays alwasy seem to fly by. Blink and you miss it and September soon rolls round again. What can you do to make that transition back into school easier as a parent?

- Uniform?

IDoes everything fit? Is it washed and ready to go? Making sure that you have uniform sorted and ready to, including PE kit, is going to help keep you organised. Lay out what is needed for that first day back, alongside your child, or if they are are old enough, encourge them to do it themselves and just check in with them - mind you - teenages may be more relecuant. IF they were a tie - dont leave it to the last minute to look for it. It could be anywhere.

- Lunch? 

Are they taking a packed lunch and if so - have you got a box and water bottle sorted and labelled? Are supplies in? If they are going to be on school dinners, is there credit in their school accounts, depending on what system the school uses. And talking of snacks - do school allow playtime snacks? Is it worth having something easy and healthy they can grab when they get in from school?

- Stationery?

Does your child need to take their own stationery to school or is it provided? This very much depends on the age of your child and the school. For secondary school children, this list can be  lengthy but probably better to be over prepared than under - pens/pencils/rulers/sharpeners/rubbers alongside a protractor and compass are usually a safe bet as a minimum, alongside a good scientific calculator.

- Alarm clocks?

Possibly a wise idea to spend the last few days of the holdiday getting into a habit of setting an alarm and gradually making it a little earlier each day - particularly if you have a teenager who likes a lie in. Make sure you know what time you need to be out of the house. How long does it take to walk/drive to school? What time to the bus pick up? It might be daft but its easy to fall out of routine and forget! 

First week back....

Getting back into a routine probably wont take you long but be prepared for tired and hungry children - both teenagers and the younger ones. We know what it's like as adults returning to work after a week or two off work - let along 6 weeks or more out of routine. 

You'll all soon find a routine that works and before you know it, Christmas will be here!