A new school term can always feel unsettling for both children and parents, so getting enough sleep in is important. The holidays usually mean longer days spent enjoying time with family and friends so when school starts to loom, getting some rest will help settle nerves.
It may not be ‘fun’ to start your school routine when the holidays are still in full swing, but starting a good bedtime routine the week before will help the children in your life adjust to earlier nights once school starts. Perfecting the shift back to school a little earlier will reduce pressure on everyone and help introduce a little routine before the new year starts.
Try winding down 30 minutes earlier a week or two before school and if they haven’t learned time yet, show them what their new bedtime looks like so they feel involved. Encourage them to read before bed too, if they don’t already, so when they start to get books for homework, it won’t feel like work at all.
Of course, the same goes for parents- getting an earlier night might be just what you need to help adjust to the new school term too!
After getting enough rest before term starts, the second most important part of the new school term is the back-to-school outfits.
If your child is new to the school, make sure you have everything ordered (and in the right sizes) long before the school bell rings. If your child is going back to the same school, checking that their uniform fits them and they’re comfortable is equally important.
If you’re looking to be a bit more sustainable, why not check local school groups for any secondhand uniform sales. If you’re friendly with the other parents, why not ask them if they have any spare that might suit your child as it saves wasting perfectly good uniform.
Embrace the back-to-school essentials
A new school term still needs those back-to-school essentials, but all the real shopping will come over summer before the kids move up a year. For many parents, the idea of shopping for those back-to-school stationery sets fills them with dread, so why not get ahead of the crowds and shop online for the smaller bits if they need any in advance.
Ask your child to choose their stationery, new lunch boxes and other bits like backpacks online with you. This saves you time spent in queues and means you can order them over over summer before the new year in September, instead of leaving it to the last minute.
By asking them to help, you’re still involving them in the decision-making process and you might even find some great summer sales online.