Returning to School: 6 Simple Strategies to Get Ready Now

The first day of school is not far away, yet many of us are still enjoying the summer and not in back-to-school mode yet. Here are some ideas for your family to get prepared right now!

Are you busy doing all the things you need to get your child(ren) ready to go back to school? With the incredibly warm weather and late September start date, many families are just beginning to get organized, and that’s okay! We’ve got a handy checklist of things you and your family can work on right now to start getting prepared.

1 – Ease back to a new sleep schedule.

Most students have at least some idea of what their morning bell times will be by now. It’s time to adjust to getting up early again, especially if summer schedules have moved kind of late. Try to get routines back on track by progressively going to bed and waking up around 10-15 minutes earlier every 2-3 days. Bedtime reading beforehand with a good book or story will also help soothe the body into a sleeping rhythm and create a calm environment!

2 – Plan out transportation needs.

By now, you should know whether your child will have access to the school bus. If you must make other arrangements, now is a great time to plan out how your child will get to school so that everyone knows where and when. If your child needs to ride a city bus to get to school, pick up a route map and familiarize your child with the bus numbers and route the bus will be taking.

3 – Green up your back-to-school shopping by checking what can be reused first.

Note pads? Binders? Pens? You probably have many supplies at home that your child will need. Why not take stock of your home office first so you know what to buy new? There are also some items that you might be able to reuse from the previous school year! Pencil cases, backpacks, and lunchboxes might be just fine for a second year after a good wash. This is a great way to teach children about being eco-friendly and economical at the same time!

4 – Go over your pandemic school supply list.

We might not know all the things our children will need for going back to school, but we can estimate the essentials based on what was required last year: several changes of face masks, hand sanitizers, fanny packs and supplies that are easy to wipe down for in-person learning.

Even if you haven’t opted for virtual school, there is the possibility that your child may be required to occasionally learn remotely throughout the coming year again if there are any school closures. So, it’s a good idea to proactively plan and consider buying or borrowing an extra device for your child that is convenient for e-learning and compatible with the educational software platform used.

5 – Make a shopping plan and consider ordering online too.

If you’re staying close to home to keep public encounters low, make a list so that if you do have to go out, you can do it in as few excursions as possible. The electronic devices and PCs are probably best ordered now, and you may be able to take advantage of some great back-to-school sales. School and craft supplies can be ordered for curbside pickup from retail stores like Staples and Michaels. For clothes, online shopping has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity! (Most places have easy return policies too.) The added benefit will be that you save time too!

6 – Tackle the study environment!

Whether your child is going back to class in person or virtually, you’ll want to make sure you have a dedicated place where your child can focus on their schoolwork without distraction. As a bonus, this study space can be used for online tutoring sessions too. For more tips, check out our post on A Workspace That Works!

We hope you find these back-to-school tips helpful and enjoy the remainder of summer!