Use these steps to ease children back into school

As August approaches, many children and parents get anxious about going back to school. As the founder of a market place selling educational supplies, and having a large community of parents and teachers, we’ve collected a few tips to make the transition from summer to school as seamless as possible.

Saying Goodbye for the First Time

If it’s your child’s first time going to school, the experience might get emotional. Your child may react in a multitude of ways; with stress, tears, behavioral issues, or trouble sleeping.

“As a stay-at-home mom, my son and I spent the first three years of his life side-by-side. To say I was worried about his transition to preschool is an understatement,” says Julie, a mother of two elementary-aged boys. “In an effort to ease my son’s anxieties, and my own, I spent a month preparing for the first day of school.”

A month seems like overkill, but you realize that a smooth transition into school is no small feat.

Prepare for a Change in Schedule

When it’s time for kids to go back to school, they will need to wake up early and return to a structured, daily routine. This change in structure can be challenging for many children, so use the weeks leading up to the first day of school to get used to earlier bed times and early mornings.

Include your child in planning out the next few weeks, and put the calendar you’ve both agreed to in a central place like the fridge. Which nights will they go to bed earlier? What time will they wake up this week? Which chores will they pick up when school starts again? Let them pencil in these items on the calendar so they feel accountable and aware of their responsibilities.

Homework Expectations

Waking up early is not the only change to your daily routine when summer ends. Children will have more structure to their days in the classroom and at school. And after school comes homework, a source of anxiety for both children and parents.

How much homework can you expect? According to the U.S. Department of Education, parents can generally expect ten minutes of homework per grade, and that time increases with every grade level. For example, first graders will have about ten minutes of homework per day, and fifth graders will have 50 minutes of homework.

Parents can prepare kids for a smooth transition into homework. And there’s no better time than now. Use the time leading up to school to prepare your student for homework by focusing on an independent learning activity for the amount of time appropriate for their incoming grade. For example, incoming fourth graders can spend 40 minutes reviewing last year’s math concepts like multiplication, division, and the order of operations. Incoming third graders can get ahead by starting concepts like fractions and measurement.