10 Ways to Beat the Back to School Blues

Most kids don’t enjoy switching gears from summer mode to school mode. And it’s not just kids. Parents, teachers, even school staff all may go through some type of remorse as the countdown to back to school begins. Change is tough and families may feel they are losing the fun and freedom of summer as school days approach. But you can make your kiddo’s transition back to school a smooth one.

Here’s 10 tips to beat the back to school blues:

1. Get back in the swing of things- be proactive and do practice runs of routines to work out the kinks. If you let bedtimes fall to the wayside during the summer, start getting the kids down on time at least a week before school starts back and wake them up the same time they’ll need to be up for school in the morning.

2. Buy fun school supplies- take your little student with you to shop for their supplies and let them pick out what they like most. Cool supplies will get them excited about using them at school.

3. Set up a new homework station- create a dedicated area for homework and deck it out with cool pencils, a fun lamp, whatever may get you child excited about the school year.

4. End the summer with a bang- host a back to school party and invite kids from the neighborhood.

5. Help them prep their story- talk about all the fun memories you made over the past few months so they’re ready for the “what did you do over the summer?” question. A stroll down memory lane will help put them in a good mood.

6. Set school year goals- talk to your child about your expectations and their personal goals for the school year. Create milestones and rewards to spark motivation and give them something to work toward. No naughty notes for a whole month; kiddo gets a sleepover with their best friend. Made the A/B honor roll; kiddo gets that new video game they wanted.

7. Give them something to look forward to- this can be something simple, like a special dinner to celebrate the first day back to school, or something bigger, like planning a special outing for the weekend to celebrate a successful first week back.

8. Don’t pass on open house night- open house is a great time to ease your child’s anxiety by learning where their class is, meeting the new teacher, seeing where they will sit, and seeing who will be in their class.

9. Write kiddo a special first day of school note- have your child keep it in their pocket. If they start to feel down during the school day, they can pull it out and read it.

10. Never ending summer- while it’s warm, still do fun “summer” things like taking the kids to the pool or the park. Let them know that once it cools down, you can plan a winter vacation as a family. Just because it’s the end of summer doesn’t mean it has to be the end of fun!

Would you like to work with me? Reach out via phone at 910-745-0303 or fill out the contact form on the website.

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