Tips for Parents Preparing to Send a Child to Elementary School

For most of us, this is the time of year that we start thinking about sending our child back to school. This article contains some good tips to help prepare an elementary school age child to return or begin the school year. After having the long summer days to play and relax, they need to start making some new habits or return to the ones they may have left at the end of the school year. As parents, we should do everything we can to make the transition from summer to school year as painless as possible.

Supplies are a very important part of school. July and August are the best times to buy school supplies, since everything is on sale. Shop as soon as you know what your child will need for school. Do not trust the lists that are in the stores. The lists provided are just guidelines and not requirements. Each individual school and grade need specific items. Trust the list that you are given by your child's school. The stores have a tendency to run out of certain items, so be sure to shop as soon as you are able. For example, last year my daughter needed plastic folder with pockets and brads in specific colors. We were not able to shop early, so I ended up scrounging the store to find the exact colors that she needed. It was not an experience I would like to repeat. Make sure that you purchase every required item on the list. Also, there are usually several optional items recommended by the teacher. Buy as many as you can afford. Especially in public schools, there will be kids that can't afford everything on the list. I realize that we do not need to buy supplies for additional students, but if you can buy extra that would be a big help to your child's teacher. While you are shopping, buy any extra items your child might need. Markers and colored pencils are not usually required items, but your child may really enjoy using them. Most of the supplies are on sale and you can stock up on extras. There is nothing worse than running out of supplies in the middle of the year. I hate having to pay full price for something. I try to plan ahead to prevent that from happening. Every student needs a bag of some sort to carry their books back and forth. Buy the best backpack or bag that you can afford. You want them to be able to use it for the whole school year.

Every child likes to have some new school clothes. They should try to wear them a couple of times before school starts. That will make sure they get washed before he wears them to school. The first week is going to be stressful enough without being uncomfortable in their clothes. If your school requires uniforms, make sure they have plenty of shirts and pants, shorts or skirts. Have them plan their outfit the night before school. You will not want them running around at the last minute trying to decide what to wear. Make sure their shoes are in good condition.

Slowly start a new sleep schedule. They are probably used to staying up later and getting up later. About a month before school starts, begin adjusting their bedtime. Don't just send them to bed earlier, but also wake them up earlier. Many children will need to be up earlier than they have been. My kids usually only need to go to bed about an hour earlier than their summer bedtime. We use fifteen minutes increments and adjust it once a week. That method takes us four weeks to get back to their school bedtime. It can be very difficult going to bed earlier, because the sun is still shining. If your child has difficulty with that, I would try room darkening shades or curtains to block out the sun. It is much easier to adjust their bedtime gradually.

This is a good time to start some quiet work time. Most of our kids have been doing there own thing all summer. Plan some quiet reading time to prepare for their return to school. Try to work up to fifteen minutes at a time. Young children should start slowly. Libraries offer many programs that help children pay attention. Preschool age story time is a very good tool for working with young children. Reading at home to young children will also help prepare them. Older children may need some encouragement and assistance from you. Most are reluctant to work on an assignment at home and especially in the summertime. If they have a favorite television show, they could practice their research and writing skills coming up with some unusual facts about the show or cast. A vacation that was taken can also provide plenty of material for a project. Make sure they work on something they enjoy and about which they would like to learn more. There are sites on-line where they can practice their vocabulary and math skills. Both of these are skills that are lost over the summer and could use some help. This is a good time to go over what you expect from their homework time.

Lunch is usually a child's favorite time of day. Start planning now whether your child will pack or buy their lunch. If you decide they will take lunch, even occasionally, talk now about what types of things will be eaten. What types of food do they enjoy? Will they buy milk at school or take juice? Get their input on things that they would like to eat in their lunch. They usually have very specific likes and dislikes. Even though we are knowledgeable about them, sometimes they decide they no longer like something or they like something new. Often, children will eat items that they helped plan or even make, but would not eat it if you just sent it in their lunch.

Lastly, use the last few weeks to remind them of the school rules. Make sure they understand what is expected of them, especially the younger ones. If they will be riding a school bus, remind them of how to behave. Let them know what your expectations are of the school year for each of them. Remind them that you love them and are very proud of them.