Unlike many families who are just starting to fully enjoy their summer; taking beach trips, going to the mountains, boating at the lake, our summer break officially ended last Sunday. Our kids are in year round school and our 5 week track out ended last weekend. Monday, my oldest started 3rd grade and my baby started Kindergarten Tuesday.
We tried to help prepare them by doing the things on this list. In my experience, number 1 on the list is the most challenging and one of the most important ways to help your children prepare for the year ahead.
Go to bed earlier
You may fail, but try. It is definitely super helpful to have their sleeping routine back on track before the start of school. Kudos to those who keep their kids on the same schedule year round. My kids have friends who have an 8pm bedtime no matter the time of year. We don’t do that. In the summer, we like to be outside and it doesn’t get dark until 9:30, which means 10pm (or later) bedtimes for the kids. 10-14 days prior to the first day of school. Try going to bed 10-15 minutes earlier. Do that for a couple of nights, then repeat. Before long, your kids will be going to bed at a reasonable hour for school.
get a grade level workbook
Summertime is fun time! Who wants to do school work?? Not many kids do but it’s definitely helpful to have them do some workbook activities over the summer. Kids forget some of what they learn when they are out of school for a week. Imagine being out for 1-2-3 months. The teachers have to spend the first 4-6 weeks of school re-teaching the prior grade level. When kids do some reading and math work over the summer, they return to school prepared for the next grade. They feel more confident and the teachers also appreciate it. Our rule this summer was 10-15 minutes a day for both my rising Kindergartener and rising 3rd grader. They didn’t do it at the beach or at camp, but the other 3 weeks of summer, we tried to get some time in.
exchange summer treat for brain food
I’m definitely guilty of taking a vacation from meal planning and cooking healthy during the summer. We are out of our routine and it’s easy to put something together at the last minute that’s not exactly the best choice. However, as school draws near, it’s important to feed your kids the right kind of foods, the kind that will help them and not hinder them.
Here are some foods that may help boost a child’s brain growth — plus improve brain function, memory, and concentration.
- Eggs
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Whole Grains
- Oatmeal
- Berries
- Colorful Veggies
schedule fun family time
A little family bonding can be helpful before everyone settles back into the work/school routine. Plan a trip. Spend the day at a local pool. Go hiking on a local trail. Head to the lake, beach or river for the day. We had a special day trip planned to go tubing on a local river. Unfortunately, I got a summer cold and we had to cancel. We’ll have to do it on a Saturday in August. If you are on a budget, you can stay home and have a game night or make a fire and hang out in the backyard. Backyard campouts can be super fun for the kids. (not quite so fun for adults of a certain age who need a comfortable bed…lol) There are so many options; it doesn’t matter what you do, just pick something and do it. My daughter loves it when I write different things on pieces of paper and put them in a bowl so she can randomly pick an activity or a movie. It adds a little sparkle to the decision making process.
talk to your kids about school
Talk to your child about their feelings about school, friends, teachers, and new activities. All kids are different. My youngest doesn’t really open up or like to talk much about things. My oldest loves it when I ask her questions and let her ask me questions. Our discussions ease her nerves when she is feeling anxious about something. Again, it totally depends on your kid but I would definitely give it a go and see what happens. It can’t hurt. Some things I do with my kids: go over the daily school schedule, show them a picture of their teacher, talk to them about lunch options, talk about changing classrooms, meeting new friends etc.
keep reading during the summer
This can be challenging; at least it is at our house. My kids like to play outside until dark, so by the time they come in, they are worn out and reading isn’t really a priority. However, we try to fit reading in at least a few times a week. We went to the library several times over the summer so the kids could pick their own books. My son can’t read yet but my daughter really enjoys it when she finds a book that she likes. Reading over the summer, especially in the younger grades, helps the kids stay engaged and ready to jump back into ELA/Reading when school resumes.
go school shopping together
Designating items as “back to school,” like an outfit or backpack, makes preparing for the school year a ritual and can stoke excitement. Even shopping for school supplies can get kids psyched up for school. This year, we shopped online for backpacks and supplies. My oldest spent a few days deciding on the perfect backpack and she had fun picking out book covers and notebooks for her classes.
When it’s time to send your kiddos back to school in a few weeks, try some of these tips and let me know how they work for you. I’d love to hear your feedback. Also, if you have any things that you do to prepare for the new school year that are not on this list, drop them in the comments or message me.
Enjoy the rest of your summer!
