Featured Article: 7 Tips for Back-to-School
1) Start getting ready early. Get all the preparation, shopping, and planning out of the way early to help prevent too much stress in the week leading up to school starting.
2) Celebrate back to school with a party! Host an end of summer/back to school party to help get the kids excited for the coming school year, instead of dreading it.
3) Prepare yourself, and your kids for the early morning to come. Many adults and children have different schedules during summer vacation than they do during the school year. Bedtimes and wake-up times creep later or simply become irregular. Slowly move them back to what they should be in the weeks leading up to school starting. If meal times have changed, do the same with those too.
4) Once the school year starts, prepare yourself for the early mornings by getting ready the night before. Being mostly ready before you even wake up can cut out a lot of the chaos and stress in the morning.
5) Take your kids shopping for school supplies and clothes with you, and give them choices. Picking out their favorite outfits and supplies can build their interest in the coming school year.
6) Set goals for yourself, or have your children set goals for themselves, and try to stick with them. Instead of vague goals like “Get good grades,” be smart and specific about your goals. Such as, “Complete my homework each day after school, before playing, and get the best grades I can in each of my classes.”
7) Use the last week before school to spend some one-on-one time with the kids. Before the schedule gets busy, take the last week to enjoy quality family time together.
