It’s that time of year! Back to school season is upon us. I’m not sure when everyone else starts school but my kids go back in less than 3 weeks! Charlotte is starting her first year of MDO (Mothers Day Out) and will go 3 days a week. Liam is in his final year of preschool and goes 5 days a week. Going into my 4th school year as a parent I like to think I am familiar with the ways to make back to school less stressful. So I hope for those of you going through this for the first time this is helpful!
7 Ways To Make Back To School Less Stressful
Prepare your kids: One of my favorite ways to prepare my kids is by reading back to school books. The book, Bye Bye Time is great for really young kids Charlotte’s age. It’s easy to understand. One of my favorites for kids Liam’s age is Daniel Tiger Goes To School. Both of these really get kids understanding what to expect and that grownups always come up! We also drive past the school and remind them thats where they go to school. Having back to school play dates with friends in their class is another great way to prepare them!
Label all the things: My kids’ school asks that we label everything and honestly it’s a great habit to get into. I can’t tell you how many times Liam has left his water bottle, sweatshirt, jacket, etc at school and having things labeled makes it easy for the teachers to know what belongs to who! These are the labels we use.
Make sure you are on the same page with school: As far as dropping off, picking up, what the kids need to have at school, etc. I am so glad our school communicates everything so well. If you don’t know reach out and ask!
Order things ahead of time: Make sure you have enough lead time! If something is personalized like a nap mat, backpack etc you definitely want to give the shop enough time to personalize!
Make a list of fun lunch ideas: I really try to mix things up with lunch. One way I do that is by using these sandwich cutters and veggie cutters. They really make lunch a little more fun! Also try to have a list that you can pick from. I keep a list of proteins, carbs, fruits, and veggies, and try to give different combos so the kids don’t get bored!
Get organized the night before: I like to make lunches the night before, have water bottles filled, backpacks ready, and clothes laid out. It makes mornings 1000 times easier and less stressful for everyone.
Make it special: I like doing a few special things the first day and week of school. Of course we always take a first day of school picture, their school also always has some fun backdrops to take pictures on as well. We love to do a back to school treat too, sometimes I’ll get special cookies, and this year we plan to take the kids for ice cream. Something simple just to make it fun!
What are some ways to make back to school less stressful for you?
We just got calls today from both of my boy’s teachers and we have meet the teacher tomorrow night! Tomorrow we are starting our morning routine as if we had school to get them ready for the more rushed mornings. Thankfully, our district has free lunch for all kids so my boys eat at school… I hate coming up with lunches!
For me, the most important thing in the “back to school” experience is being on the same page with the school. From my vantage, this means making sure the uniform policy (if applicable) is understood, having an understanding of in/out protocols, and knowing what’s acceptable in the classroom. More than having the kids ready for the first day is doing everything to have them ready for Days 2 through 180.
Great tips! My daughter goes back to school in 3 weeks too… she’s in her final year of compulsory schooling but I’m still never organised for the start of the year, lol!
I am glad I dont have to go through all these duties since my kids are all grown up and are slowly making a life of their own. But during their kindgergaten days, I did all those things, like covering their notebooks with plastic cover, labeling their personal stuff, etc.
Aww back-to-school season. Those were the good old days! I was home-educated all the way through graduation, so this particular time of the year was always a bit different for me. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Especially in high school when I began doing more classes in co-ops or taking college courses because then I was prepping for myself. Such fun!
During our weekend grocery shopping, we make sure that everything needed for school is on the shopping list. We pack them lunches a night before school so it would be easy the next day.
I always try or at least, tried to be on the same page with school. It’s quite hard, I must admit but it’s always worth it. Even when you falter, it’s much easier to give you a second chance! Thanks Neely for this one!
We always make sure we do everything we can for the coming day the night before. It makes the mornings so much easier.
We just got calls today from both of my boy’s teachers and we have meet the teacher tomorrow night! Tomorrow we are starting our morning routine as if we had school to get them ready for the more rushed mornings. Thankfully, our district has free lunch for all kids so my boys eat at school… I hate coming up with lunches!
I love these ideas! Back to school is both exciting and super nerve wrecking for my girls, especially after the year they just had.
I don’t have kids but could definitely take note from these to get myself out the door in the morning 😀 Thanks for sharing!
It’s so funny because I just wrote a similar article. Well, I’d have to agree with you because my recommendations are almost the same as yours.
For me, the most important thing in the “back to school” experience is being on the same page with the school. From my vantage, this means making sure the uniform policy (if applicable) is understood, having an understanding of in/out protocols, and knowing what’s acceptable in the classroom. More than having the kids ready for the first day is doing everything to have them ready for Days 2 through 180.
Great tips! My daughter goes back to school in 3 weeks too… she’s in her final year of compulsory schooling but I’m still never organised for the start of the year, lol!
I am glad I dont have to go through all these duties since my kids are all grown up and are slowly making a life of their own. But during their kindgergaten days, I did all those things, like covering their notebooks with plastic cover, labeling their personal stuff, etc.
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We don’t have any children, so we have one less thing to stress about, as we don’t have back to school to deal with x
Labels for sure. Those have saved us many times.
Aww back-to-school season. Those were the good old days! I was home-educated all the way through graduation, so this particular time of the year was always a bit different for me. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. Especially in high school when I began doing more classes in co-ops or taking college courses because then I was prepping for myself. Such fun!
I can’t believe that school is starting again already. These are good tips to help everyone get back in the swing of the school year!
Just today I spoke to someone about school and their stress levels. The pressures put on some people by their families can be pretty significant.
During our weekend grocery shopping, we make sure that everything needed for school is on the shopping list. We pack them lunches a night before school so it would be easy the next day.
I always try or at least, tried to be on the same page with school. It’s quite hard, I must admit but it’s always worth it. Even when you falter, it’s much easier to give you a second chance! Thanks Neely for this one!
I love these ideas! Back to school is both exciting and super nerve wrecking for my girls, especially after the year they just had.