10 Back to School Tips for Parents

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Whether this is your first year preparing for school or you're a veteran, here are 10 tips we use each year to help us prepare with out the stress and worry! :: www.thriftyhomeschoolers.com

Back to school is just around the corner, which means that it is time to prepare a game plan. Towards the end of summer, parents are anxiously running around trying to get all the last-minute supplies, new clothes for the coming fall, develop a new schedule, and figure out what the kids are going to eat. Calm down! Here are ten back to school tips that every parent should check out.

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Purchase Supplies Early

Yes, I understand that you are waiting for that magnificent sale to help cut the budget on back to school supplies, but don’t wait too long. Create your list and start checking off the boxes as soon as you can. Purchasing your supplies a couple of weeks in advance will cut down your stress tremendously and guarantee that you have everything ready. Better yet, plan way ahead and purchase supplies on the end-of-year clearance for the next year. Then, all you have to do is pick out the extras.

Get Back on Schedule

Start getting your child back on a school sleeping schedule at least two weeks before school starts. You may have to deal with some moaning and groaning, but everyone will feel more relaxed and confident when the first day of school arrives. Even if you take it easy during that first week, easing back in to the routine of a bedtime is a good idea.

Designate a Quiet Zone

Find a spot in your home where your child can go and read, color or play quietly. By having a set time and place for a quiet time, your child will form a daily routine and perform to their highest ability. Plus, having that daily quiet time gives you some time to yourself too.

Be Encouraging

Your attitude matters! You want your child to be excited and feel confident when they start back to school. By reducing your stress and being encouraging, you can influence your child’s perspective towards school. You may have a child that is a little resistant but be persistent and have fun.

Create a Tradition

There are so many different traditions that you can begin with your family. Take a photo on the first day every year, have a back to school dinner, or a special first-day breakfast. By coming up with something to make back to school extra special, you will have something to look back through the years and forward to the coming year. Include all the family members and maybe even your child’s friends.

 

Test Your Child’s Basic Skills

Some states require standardized tests, but even if they don’t, we’ve found that doing a little testing helps us evaluate and determine where our children fall in their skills. Not necessarily by grade, but just in general. If you don’t want to go the test route, you can purchase a summer workbook or print worksheets online to do daily. By having your child practice their reading, writing, and arithmetic your child will feel a lot more confident about their next year, but may also push ahead in their skills too!

Read a Back to School Book

Young children can feel overwhelmed when they change their daily routine, even if you are just adding some papers. By reading a book about returning to school or starting school, it might ease their mind and help them get excited for the transition. Here are my top 10 back to school read alouds or you can check out your local library and bookstore for some great book ideas.

Prepare Your Meal Plan

What are the kids going to eat! Every year parents struggle with deciding how they are going to fill their child’s bellies for breakfast and lunch. Don’t stress out about the perfect looking dinosaur shaped sandwiches. Just keep it simple, balanced, and healthy. And make dinner easy on you after a long day of homeschooling with one of our monthly thrifty meal plans!

Meet Up with Friends

While many homeschoolers spend time together for co-op or field trips during the year, why not set up a back to homeschool party with everyone. This would be a fun way to kick off the new year and possibly visit a usually crowded venue, while everyone else is in school.

Lay Out Everything the Night Before

Life is so much easier when everything is ready. Take the time the night before to prepare everything for the first morning of school. Most of the time my kids like to do school in their pajamas, so we don’t lay out clothes. However, I do like to make sure all our lessons are in order and ready to go the night before. It really does help our morning run smoother.

What are your best tips for heading back to school?

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