The summer holidays are almost over, which means a new school term is looming.
With August zooming past us, it’s easy to be a little unprepared
when it comes to getting the kids ready to go back to school. Here at
Tutor Doctor we want to lend a helping hand whenever we can, which is
why we’ve come up with an easy guide that makes going back to school
easy on everyone- including you.
Re-establish Routines
During the summer holidays it’s easy for kids to get used to having
long lie-ins and late bedtimes. To help kids sleep schedules adjust ready
for the earlier school routine, start waking them up earlier around a
week before the new term begins. This will help them get back into an
everyday routine, which hopefully means that it won’t be so bad
when they have to return to school.
Power up the brain
A great way to get your child ready for going back to school is by getting
their brains powered up and ready to learn. Easy ways to do this is by
encouraging activities such as reading, writing and numeracy. We’ve
come up with some fun tasks to kick-start their brains after the long break.
- Write down their favourite day of the summer.
- Make a times tables poster
- Create a mini maths/spelling quiz (if you have time) and give them a prize
if they do well.
- Create a scrapbook of their summer holidays.
- Write a short story and get them to read it aloud to you.
- Write a short poem about a topic of their choice
- After reading a book of their choice, encourage them to write a mini-review
Stock up on school supplies
Stocking up on school supplies is a super easy way to get prepared for
the new academic year. Try and plan before you go shopping though, as
it’s easy to double up on things like stationary. Before you head
out check what your children already have and whether they can use again.
This not only saves money but your time. For example do they really need
a new ruler when they already have one? Here’s a checklist of essential
school supplies to make your life a little easier.
- Pens and Pencils
- Pencil Sharpener
- Ruler
- Calculator
- Eraser
- Pencil Case
- Folders and Plastic Wallets
- School Bag/ Backpack
- Lunch Box
- Plastic Drinks Container
- School Uniform (Remember P.E Kit!)
- USB Stick
- Dictionary
- Umbrella
Establish Homework Time
Going back to school means that your child is going to be getting homework
regularly. After having a whole summer without getting homework everyday
means that setting time aside everyday doesn’t happen. Establishing
a daily homework routine is essential and makes going back to school run
a lot smoother. Discuss with your child the time of day that they would
rather have homework time. Some children prefer to get it out the way
as soon as they get home from school, whereas others might want time to
relax and complete later in the evening.
Make sure summer projects are complete
Talking of homework, it’s always a great idea to double check if
your child was given any summer projects to complete. Often children forget
to mention that they had a summer project and won’t mention it until
the day before school starts- leaving everyone in panic mode. Avoid this
by checking a few weeks before school starts. This leaves plenty of time
to complete and ensures that your kids are prepared for the new term ahead.
