It is hard to believe it is already August. Our summer has flown by, and I always say each summer goes by faster than the last one as my kids are getting older. We squeezed in as much fun as we could and are still trying to squeeze in these last couple of weeks of summer before school starts. However, my mom brain is starting to shift to prepare for what lies ahead in the weeks to come. 

I am often making recommendations to the parents I serve around the end of July to help them support and prepare their child for the transition back to school. I have learned over the years of being an OT and a mom that some suggestions just work well for all families. Some kids only need a few days to get back into the school routine, while others need a couple weeks to prep. Parents know their kids best, so if you have a kiddo that benefits from a couple weeks of slowly getting back to the school schedule now is the time! I will reshare a few links in my social media posts this week on my meal planner, bedtime checklist, and morning routine that you can print and use in your own home. If you are new here or cruised on by them the last time I shared them, I would encourage you to pump your brakes and print these out. You can also find them on our website under resources in the parent resources tab. Place each one in a dry erase pocket sleeve like this one and reuse it over and over again. 

This leads me to my list of back to school prep…

Bedtime Checklist

We tend to let bedtime get later and allow a more relaxed bedtime routine in the summer. This takes a bit of adjusting to get back in the swing of things in our house, so I usually start our normal bedtime and routine at least a week before the first day of school. This lets my kids’ circadian rhythms reset, get a few extra zzz’s before school starts, and it is one less battle to fight the first week of school. Get my bedtime routine checklist here.

Good Morning Routine

Morning routine is the hardest reality to accept for us. The back to school grind of getting ready right when you wake up, packing lunches, snacks, and managing our feelings. I am not a morning person, so I start my “mom routine” for back to school at least two weeks in advance, so I get my feelings in check. Then, the week before school starts I start talking to the kids about the morning routine, review the checklist with them, and let them decide if they want to practice it for 3 days or 5 days. They will always pick 3 days, but the choice in the matter gives them a little say in the task that will happen no matter how many complaints are said.  Get my morning routine checklist here.

Plan Ahead

1. My husband and I have a sit down to review the August calendar right at the start of the month. I fill out our huge family calendar with all the things, and we go through each week. This allows us to get on the same page about the school schedule, pick up and drop offs, and the start of managing 3 kids sports and back to school activities. Here is a link to our calendar.
2. Consider a plan for your after school routine to accommodate your kid’s academic, extracurricular, and downtime needs. This may vary from day to day, but if you have a few constants each day it will help them decompress a bit. 
3. Meal planning saves me during the school year. I get off track in the summer and have to pull myself back to reality to avoid scrambling.  After I have my master calendar updated, I plan out weeks of meals based around our busy evenings in August. This helps me get back on track, and I don’t have to think of one more thing as we all adjust those first few weeks back to school. Check out my meal planning blog for more ideas. Maybe I will share my first couple weeks of meal plans after I make them with you all! Sorry, random thought as I type.
4. Make sure you have all the back to school supplies and label them now. Labeling a million pencils the night before meet the teacher is not my idea of fun. 
5. Both of my boys had a growth spurt over summer, so I am double checking shoes and clothes are the correct size and replacing anything that needs to go up a size for fall/winter wardrobe. They have plenty of clothes to get through the warmer days of back to school, so I tend to avoid breaking the bank for new clothes they will only wear a month or two before the season changes. 

Feelings

Kids have so many feelings heading back to school. Some are sad that summer is coming to an end, some are excited to see their friends and school again, some have dread going back to school, some are nervous going to a new school, some are anxious to have a new teacher and new grade level, and then the mix of all the feelings starts to become a lot to manage. There are a few things that can help ease all the mixed emotions and prepare your child for what is to come…

1. If this is your child’s first year of school or a new school, try to attend any opportunities your school may have for kindergarteners, incoming middle schoolers, incoming high schoolers, and new families. This will allow them to meet kids, you can meet other parents, see their new school, and work out some of the jitters. 
2. Take the drive to the school a couple times and visit the playground. A bit of familiarity helps kids feel secure.
3. Talk about the school day, read books about the first day of school, or draw pictures of the school after a visit. 
4. Have your kids help you pack up their school supplies 
5. Let them be a part of the fun stuff like First Day of school outfit, picking out their backpack and lunchbox, or filling out the First Day of school picture board if that is your thing.
6. Discuss the week ahead with your child so they can have an idea of what is going on. If a week is overwhelming them, then give a one day at a time discussion to help them prepare.

Life Skills Prep

Teachers are amazing at managing so many students at a time, but they much appreciate when their students can manage a few things on their own or at least are attempting. Start practicing this if you have not already done so and continue practicing until your child has mastered these areas. We need to raise capable children!

1. Opening and closing lunch containers 
2. Opening yogurts, bags of crackers (use containers or ziplocs until your child is able to open more challenging snack bags)
3. Opening and closing their backpacks
4. Zipping and unzipping jackets and coats (and putting them on)
5. Going to the bathroom (including wiping) on their own
6. Washing their hands thoroughly on their own
7. Tying shoes if sending in laced shoes or get velcro shoes or these no tie laces until they can independently tie shoes 
8. Teach your older child how to use a planner to remember assignments, activities, and to do lists. They will need your support on this until mastered (at least a couple months of support and then weekly check ins to stay on track). I prefer a planner that gives them plenty of room to write, like the one.
9. Create a list of items your older child needs to bring to school each day and hang it by their backpacks. This will teach them independence in managing their belongings for the day. They can be responsible for making sure their assignments, computer, water, snacks, and lunch make it to the bag. 
10. If your child will be moving from classroom to classroom for the first time, talk about this and answer questions they may have about it.
11. If your child will be using a combination lock, start practicing every day before school so it is mastered and there is no stress about getting locked out of the locker. 
12. Print a class schedule to hang in your older child’s locker for them to peek at between classes (write reminders for items they may need to bring next to the class to help them grab supplies quickly).

Other Considerations: We Can Help!

We often consult with parents that have children with ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety, autism, physical limitations, and other diagnoses to help prepare their child for the school year. If you are feeling overwhelmed sending your child to school this year, please reach out for a parent consultation meeting. We can discuss your questions and concerns and help you develop a plan that is specific to help your child have the best year yet. A few examples of things we can assist in:

• implementing school year routines in your home,
• making suggestions to current routines to improve the quality of each routine,
• supports for children to work through common struggles like homework,
• visual supports,
• ways to support your child in the early morning and after school meltdowns,
• communication logs for a child that cannot communicate their day,
• and so much more.

We utilize parent coaching and education for this type of service and can complete consultations in person or via video to make this a very convenient service. Please do not struggle through another year. We are equipped to help work through these areas that bring so much stress to a child and family. No concern or struggle is too big or too small. 

Let’s wrap this up so you can get to it! If you are reading this the day we posted, take it and run with it. If you are reading this the night before school starts, a week into school starting, or a month into school starting and feeling completely overwhelmed don’t panic. It is not too late to start implementing some of these ideas to make the rest of the school year go smoothly. You don’t have to do this all at once. You can make a plan to implement one or two things at a time and build on it for your family. As always we are here to support you if you need help. Your child does not need to have a formal diagnosis to benefit from our services. Keep your eye on our social media for a one time back to school offer designed to specifically support parents and reach out!

Have the best school year!

Danielle