Hi moms and dads. Schools starts in a few weeks — yikes! And if you’re anything like me, your stomach has begun to churn with the stress of back to school. You feel overwhelmed with sign-ups, forms, uniforms, car pools and stress and when you look at your budding September calendar, the pit in your stomach swells. You simply have no idea how you are going to manage! Well, listen, take a deep breath. We did it last year and we can do it again now and even better. Here are five tips to make going back to school easier for your kids and for YOU.

Still in need of some back to school items? Enter our giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card to complete your school supplies list!

1. Ask About Their Favorite Lessons From Last Year

Ask your kids to talk about their favorite days or moments from the prior school year. Talk about highlights like science fairs, interesting speakers, and projects that they did in class. Jogging up these memories can help your kids remember the creative aspects of learning. Ask your kids about something they learned, and prompt them to articulate how they want to build on their knowledge of that topic during this school year. My kids love to tell me about all of the interesting and new things they have learned at school, and our conversations invariably get them excited about going back.

2. Arrange a Get Together With Kids From Their Class

A whole summer has passed since last June; your kids may have been at camp or on a family vacation, and it may have been a while since they’ve seen their school friends. To battle the stress of seeing school friends for the first time in a while, ask who they’ve missed over the summer or wish they’d seen, and organize a time and place for them to reconnect. Having fun with school friends before school starts will remind your kids how much fun they will have learning alongside friends. They can discuss where to sit at lunch, which classes they have, and how they spent their summers. Your child will remember how excited she is to see these people daily.

3. Review Their Class Schedule and Teacher

Sit down with your child and carefully review their teacher and classmates (if they’re younger) and their schedule and array of teachers (if they are Middle School age or older). Just familiarizing your child with these people and their calendar will reduce stress and anxiety and help her or him feel more comfortable on the first day of school.

4. Buy New School Supplies

As a kid, I loved receiving my school supplies list and shopping for a new back-to-school backpack (or lunchbox when I was in grade school!). New notebooks, pencils, and binders really emphasize that the school year merits a fresh start. Take your child shopping for a backpack, or clean out their bag from last year, adding a new keychain, pin or other small decorative item. Fill the backpack with a fun pencil case with pencils, pens, highlighters and erasers. Splurge on a back to school outfit. I remember planning mine with my sister for the whole month of August! Being prepared with supplies and a great look can boost confidence and excitement.

5. Sign up for extracurriculars

A new year means new activities! My kids are always excited to get back into sports, music and art when the year starts. Try to sign your kids up early for dance lessons, sports teams, or art classes to make sure you get the days and times you want, and to conjure up excitement over the new school year.

So much excitement accompanies the start of a new school year and these simple tips can help involve your kids in the process. My kiddos will be returning to school this fall (grades 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10), so I plan to use these tips to get them excited!

I hope they work for you as well, and let me know in the comments how back to school goes for your family! Oh, and make sure to enter our Amazon giveaway to help you complete your school supplies list.

Warmly,

Melissa

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Prize: One (1) $50 Amazon Gift Card

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ways you can enter to increase your chances of winning. The giveaway ends on Monday, August 26, 2019, at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time).

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