7 Smart Ways to Prepare Your Child for School This Year
As a parent, you want to see your child succeed in school. “Success” may look different depending on the child, but you can advocate for one thing no matter what: their happiness in school. As the school year rolls around again, you can implement a few techniques to help make the transition from summertime to school time a little easier — and help your child feel prepared to achieve success, whatever that may look like to them.
1. View the School Ahead of Time
Sometimes, families move before the school year starts or your child attends a new place for middle or high school. A significant change can bring a child plenty of anxiety, especially if they have to transition from class to class without knowing how to do so properly. If the school has an open house, take your child. By then, they should know what their schedule looks like, and you can walk them through their day by taking them from classroom to classroom. If they know where their classes are, they’ll have less anxiety about the unknown.
2. Teach Them the Importance of Planners
Planners can be introduced to children as young as kindergarteners. It can teach them how to manage their responsibilities effectively, and if you create a routine with the planner, your child may learn to stick to it and build organizational skills. A daily planner is the best option for students, who will have plenty of homework, projects or club meetings to fill out the full-page spread.
Whether shopping for clothes or school supplies, going back-to-school shopping can help your child feel special and get into the mindset that school is starting again soon. With all-new items, your child just might feel readier for school than previously. Shopping for new things, no matter how few, can make a child excited to use the items.
Make sure they know that these school supplies are for school — which means they’ll have to wait to use them until their first day. They might just be looking forward to starting school after seeing their new goodies!
4. Encourage Them to Pick a Path
When your child is old enough, they’ll have to decide whether they want to go straight into the working world and possibly trade school or go to college to pursue a higher degree. Both paths are respectable ones, and you won’t find a “right” way to do things.
However, if your child is in high school, it might be time to encourage them to pick a path for the rest of their life — while assuring them that they can change their mind later. If they want to go to college, you should encourage them to take AP classes, which will bulk up their transcripts and raise their GPA, making them look more competitive to their dream school.
Your child will love a mid-day pick-me-up. Including a note in their lunch might get embarrassing to them after a certain age, but you can continue including sweet words for them in their lunches until they tell you to stop. You never know when a kind note can change their entire day or give them the confidence they need to finish the week strong. Kids face so many battles in school that they don’t tell their parents about, so some kind words can help your child understand that, no matter what, they’re still loved at home.
Preparing your child for their first step into school is very different from preparing them to enter high school or another grade. If your child is still very young, reading to them is an excellent opportunity to improve their literacy as they learn to read and write in class. It will allow them to transition easier from home life to their school years.
Furthermore, reading together with your older child can allow them to foster a stronger bond with you. You may choose to read a chapter a night before bed with your child. That way, you can experience a story together while setting aside time to be with one another. It’s a perfect way to remedy finding time together in a busy family.
Before the school year starts, work with your child to set goals that will make a difference in the coming months. They may feel overwhelmed by all the work they have to do, especially if they’re taking more challenging classes. Some outside goals they’ve made with a parent can help them feel a little more comfortable branching out.
One of those goals might be a social one. You could encourage your child to make one new friend a week, particularly if they’re attending a new school, or join a club for one of their interests or that challenges them. Socializing with others is essential, no matter how old your child is, because it helps them navigate real-world relationships and deal with any conflicts that may arise.
Make This School Year Their Best
You can’t follow your kid into school, but you can set them up to achieve fantastic things independently. Do all you can to prepare your child for the first day of school, and they’ll feel readier than ever to tackle the challenges of a new year. Remember to support them through all their wins and setbacks, and they’ll know they always have a cheerleader in you.
