Welcome to Part One of our Back to School series! It seems like the dog days of summer are here to stay in Virginia, but the start of a new school year is just around the corner. While it seems like Fall is still so far away, it’s time to start preparing your back-to-school routines. Today we’re providing tips on transitioning back to structured routines, in hopes of making them easier for everyone involved!
Before school starts:
Talk About School:
Review your child’s teacher bio and start to mention his or her name. Help your child become more familiar with their teacher, so they can feel comfortable with this new person that will be in their lives.
Visit or show pictures of your child’s school. When visiting, show where morning drop off will be and discuss what will happen. If possible, head to the school playground and let them check out all of the exciting play spaces. This can help children familiarize their surroundings and get excited for what is to come!
Make a social story for your child. This can include pictures and step-by-step descriptions of their morning routine or school day, including transportation to and from school. This can help prepare them for the changes that are about to occur.
Buy something special for your child to keep during the school day. This could be something like a keychain on their backpack. When your child misses you at school, the keychain can remind them of you and your love.
Discuss the upcoming changes and any possible accompanying emotions. Talk with your child about what you can do to help, such as: “I sometimes get nervous when things change. What helps me is extra hugs! What can Mommy do to help you?”
Get Excited:
Talk about all of the positive things that come with school, such as seeing old friends or making new ones.
To foster some excitement, go school shopping! Children love getting new supplies or clothes for the new school year. Find a backpack that features your child’s interests, such as dinosaurs, or a lunchbox with their name on it that they can proudly show to their friends! This can help children feel prepared and more in control for the change coming.
Throw a back to school party! This can help provide closure to summer and lay the foundation for a positive school year. It could be something simple, such as making homemade ice cream as a family, or hosting a small backyard barbecue with friends!
Create A Work Space:
Create a space designated for homework. Having a consistent space can help promote studying. This space should be clean, quiet and with no distractions. Limit the number of items around the room and on the desk or table and have an organization system set for the space.
Create a rule that no screens should be on during homework time.
Reintroduce A Consistent Bedtime:
Good, healthy sleep is so incredibly important for development. In middle school, high school and college, insufficient sleep is associated with lower academic achievement, absenteeism and tardiness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends preschool-aged children have 11-12 hours of sleep, school-aged children have at least 10 hours of sleep, and teenagers have 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Begin making changes to bedtime now! Start to find the ideal bedtime for your child. This can be done by shifting the time up by 15 minutes. This will help prepare them come school time and lead to more restful nights- and better days for everyone!
Limit screen time before bed. Create a device-free routine! Reading, sharing about the day, or preparing for tomorrow can help support this new routine.
We hope you found this post beneficial and are able to incorporate some of these into a back to school routine. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@owlstherapy.com. The OWLS Therapy team wishes your family the best of luck with the start of the new school year!
About the Author
Janene Besch
Director/Speech-Language Pathologist
Janene Besch, née Martin, holds a Master's degree in Speech Language and Hearing Sciences from San Diego State University and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of California at San Diego. Janene is a member of the American Academy of Private Practice in Speech Pathology
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