Extraordinary Health Magazine EHMagazine Vol 37 | Page 32
7
Tips
to Make
BACK to
SCHOOL
Seamless
The start of the school year is always a hectic time, whether children are very young or teenagers.
From new teachers to busy schedules, back-to-school tends to bring apprehension. However, with a
little advanced planning, many common stressors can be easily eliminated—allowing both children and
parents to feel refreshed and focused!
1. Get Organized. In the weeks before school starts, tidy up
any loose ends to avoid frantic scrambling. This includes making
sure kids complete required summer reading lists, buying school
supplies, taking care of doctor’s appointments, etc.
2. Address Important Issues. Evaluate the previous school
year, and determine if your child had any academic or social
issues that might need extra attention this year. For example,
if a certain subject caused a lot of difficulty, ask around for a tutor
reference. If your child struggled with peer pressure, talk to the
school counselor for advice.
3. Adjust Sleeping Schedules Early. Getting used
to rising early for school can be one of the most challenging
adjustments, often leading to grogginess and poor performance
when it’s suddenly reintroduced. If your children were accustomed
to sleeping until noon or going to bed late during the summer,
encourage them to begin waking an hour earlier each day as well
as going to bed at a reasonable time so they are properly acclimated
once school begins.
4. Create a Family Calendar. The refrigerator is a
convenient place to establish a central location for families
to mark important dates. This includes recitals, game days,
big tests, and the like for kids, as well as important events and
meetings for parents, so everyone can properly plan.
30 Vol 37• Extraordinary Health ™
5. Designate a Homework Spot. Since studying and
doing homework after a summer away can be difficult for many
children, it can help if they have a designated distraction-free
zone, away from the computer, cell phone, and noise. It can
be a nook in the kitchen or the home office desk from a set
time each day, as long as it provides a focused space where
the child can work.
6. Set up Grab-and-Go Lunch Bins. Mornings can
be stressful, so take the pressure off by preparing food for lunch
in advance. Create one dry goods bin and two cold goods bin (for
the fridge and freezer). For the dry goods, create portion-sized
servings of crackers, pretzels, pre-packaged fruit cups, trail mix or
granola, nuts, and a treat, and pack away in the pantry. For the cold
refrigerator bin, pack up mini cups of hummus, chopped veggies,
string cheese and yogurt cups. For the freezer bin, prepare some
PB&J sandwiches and some meat and cheese sandwiches. When
morning rolls around, simply grab pre-packaged servings as needed
from each bin.
7. Give Kids a Treat. Regardless of how much preparation
is done to make the back-to-school transition easier, it is
nevertheless difficult to let go of lazy summer days. A simple yummy
treat with a note of encouragement can help bring a big smile to any
child’s face.