The summer holidays are coming to an end and it’s time to prepare for your child’s return to school, or for those in year R, their very first day. Here’s how to make this September as stress-free (for you and your child) as possible.
Preparing for the start of term
Dig out those school letters or look at the school website and double check you have everything your child needs. Ensure their school bag is big enough to fit everything in, but not too big and bulky for them to carry around. Make sure you’ve tested out their water bottle by filling it up and tipping it upside down to check it doesn’t leak, as it’s bound to get shaken up a fair bit in your child’s school bag! Is everything labelled with your child’s name and can they recognise all of their belongings? It’s a good idea to put a distinctive sticker on lunch boxes and water bottles, as well as their name, in case there are other children with the same items.
Getting ready each morning
By encouraging children to help get themselves ready for school, they can gain some independence and you’ll gain some extra time in the mornings. For children starting reception year, you could lay out pictures of the things they need to do each morning, such as having a wash and dressing themselves. Older children could write their own checklist to pin on their wall. Keep fruit, cereal and bowls within reach and let them help themselves to breakfast. If you have time to prepare the night before, ‘overnight oats’ with stewed apple can be a great time saver for the mornings and will give the children plenty of energy too!
Do as much as possible the night before, with school uniform laid out, shoes, coat and school bag ready by the door. This will help you avoid any stress in the morning and you can spend a little extra time with your child, talking about all the exciting things they’ll be doing in their class that day, or just enjoying a book together, rather than rushing around trying to find that one missing item!
Being prepared for homework
As well as all the items needed for school, be prepared for things your child will need at home; somewhere to sit and do their homework, plus a supply of paper and pencils. Dictionaries and atlases are ideal books to have on the shelf and with 30% off all Collins home learning resources until the end of September, it’s a great time to stock up on these.
The Fascinating Facts range is ideal for making homework projects fun, with titles such as ‘Romans’, ‘Science’ and ‘Human Body’ within the series and it’s also a good idea to have a drawer with basic craft supplies including card, glue and sticky tape, to save you having to rush out when the school set their first creative homework challenge of the year!
