The Ultimate Back To School Guide For Parents

A new school term can always feel unsettling for both children and parents, so getting enough sleep 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 kids 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.

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 back to school 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 a perfectly good uniform.

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 fills them with dread, especially when trying to figure out what should be on the back to school checklist. 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 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. Check out this article we’ve already written on secondary school essentials to get your kids everything they need before they head back to class.

For some people, lists are a real help for staying on track and visualising all the things that need doing. Whether your child is 4 or 14, everyone loves that feeling when you can tick off tasks on a to-do list and starting a new school term is the perfect time for a back to school checklist.

Start with the obvious things to make sure they have packed in their bags like pencil cases, new pads, water bottles etc. If they’re starting a new school or catching the bus for the first time, write down the times and places they’ll need to be so they won’t forget.

If they’re taking in money for the first time, why not write a list and include their budgets for lunch and bus money too. This helps introduce tips for budgeting early and helps them remember how much they have to spend when they start school.

Another great tip for keeping your cool before school is to make sure to pack the night before so nothing gets left behind or lost under the sofa before the big day. Again, make this a joint effort between you and your child so they feel involved and recognise it’s an important part of their new school term – being organised.

Why not use a handy list to write all the things they’ll need, use their timetable to make sure you don’t overpack and leave plenty of time for washing uniforms so you’re not rushing. Pre-packing their bag the night before a new school term helps build it into their routine for the rest of the year and helps relieve the worries of ‘have I forgotten anything’ that you may both be feeling.

And last but not least, don’t forget to have fun. The new school year can also bring new worries for older kids who are starting somewhere new or are starting an important year in their education, so try to have fun too.

Why not book their favourite activity after their first week back to give them something else to focus on other than school. A sleepover with their friends, a trip to the cinema or a picnic in their favourite park are all great ways to make sure they have something fun to do after the first week back.

Planning their favourite meals to enjoy after school for the first week is another good way to ensure they enjoy their first week too, even if they don’t want to tell you how their day was.

If you’ve got a few more weeks of the summer holiday left, make sure the school chat is diluted with things they find interesting too so they don’t feel too much pressure around getting back to school.