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10 Simple Tips for Back to School!

August 19, 2021

Starting school can be a scary experience, but also very exciting!

This September, thousands of children across the UK will be tying up their laces, strapping on their backpacks and heading off on a new adventure!

For parents, waving off your child brings about lots of emotions for you and them, so we spoke to parents to ask for their top tips to help prepare for your kid’s first day.

It’s the final countdown!

Get your kids excited about starting school by counting down on your calendar until their first day!

No wet undies!

If you have a little one who isn’t fully toilet trained, make sure to mention this to their teacher. Pack some spare undies so if they do have a little accident, they don’t need to be wet all day. For children who are just getting used to the toilet, teach them the different kinds of flushes they might encounter so they know what to do and talk through how we wash our hands – the website Wash Your Lyrics creates a fun infographic based on any songs you want!

Yummy lunches

There will be new and exciting times, so food that is easy and quick to eat is best and don’t be surprised if the food is not eaten but ditched for playing with new toys or friends!

Change4Life provides some great lunchbox ideas on their website.

Dress rehearsals

Ahead of the big day “wear in” both shoes and their uniform – you will be surprised how scratchy labels might be! Over in Oxfordshire, one mum is recycling school uniforms to help families save money.

Make it easy for them

Starting school means giving children a sense of independence. Help strengthen this by allowing them to start practising getting dressed by themselves. The best way to do this is by buying clothes and shoes which are easy to button up (for example with poppers) and Velcro shoes if they struggle with laces.

Wakey, wakey!

Prepare them for their new routine by starting to set a bedtime and waking them up nice and early so when it comes to the first day of school, the early morning rise isn’t such a shock to them.

Route planner

School traffic and parking is often a nightmare – if you can, think about walking, scootering or using the buggy board to get to and from school. In the last week of the summer holidays, start walking the route you will be taking to school to get your child familiar with it.

Once they’ve started school, you can build in extra time for slower walking and use the time to chat about their school day and try to soothe any worries they might have.

Don’t overload them!

Even phased and shorter days at school can cause your child to feel tired. In the first month you might want to build flexibility with after school activities and action-packed weekends.

Take time to talk

Sit down with your child, perhaps with a colouring book or an activity they enjoy, and open up a conversation about how their feeling about starting school. They might have some questions about what to expect and it will give you the opportunity to get them excited about all the cool stuff they’re going to get up to!

And breathe…

Don’t underestimate how you might feel as a parent or carer seeing your “baby” start school – if you can, enjoy some “me time” on their first day even if it’s just for 30 minutes. Take time out to reflect on how far you’ve come and the exciting next step of your journey as a parent.

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