With back to school right around the corner, we thought we would put together some top tips for making the transition as easy as possible! Let's jump right in...
1) Explain the new routine, rules and what to expect.
Due to the pandemic, things in schools are going to be a bit different now - which can be a source of stress and unease in itself.
Social distancing, new start times, out of bound areas and new lunch rules could all come into play, so it's important to prepare your child as much as possible for these changes. Try to familiarise yourself with all of the school policies, and in turn, try and get your tot as familiar with them so things don't seem to new or out of the ordinary.
In addition to this, a new school term usually means a new teacher as well - which removes another area of familiarity. Try to get your child used to the idea of a new teacher so they are ready to re-engage as quickly as possible!
2) Keep calm and plan ahead.
Children respond to their parent's behaviour and attitude. If you're anxious or stressed in the morning, this could reflect on your child and send them off to school in the wrong mindset.
To avoid stressful mornings, try to plan ahead as much as possible. Implement a routine and stick to it, and use the night before to try and sort out the more time consuming things such as lunches and school bags.
Have everything ready to go for the morning and get cracking on your plan and routine as soon as you wake up!
3) Prepare exciting lunches & school supplies.
Some children might find the changes or the transition back to school difficult. You can make this easier by sending them into school with things they are comfortable with or are attached to.
Fun and colourful school supplies with characters and designs that your children like will help with this - backpacks, lunch bags, rain coats and pencil cases that they love will aid them in feeling more comfortable in this new / changed environment.
4) Find a friend to go to school with.
This isn't always possible because it obviously has to involve another family's routine, but a good idea for making your child feel more comfortable is to have them go to school with a friend.
Whether it's walking them to school together or arranging a car pool, by doing this, your child will immediately feel more comfortable heading back to school as familiar companionship helps a lot with comfort and nerves.
5) Structure homework.
We know kids are somewhat used to working from home now (given what's happened in the last year) but that doesn't mean doing homework will become much easier as a result.
With kids heading back to school, it is important for them to understand that homework is still a requirement - you don't want them thinking that the return to school means no more work from home at all.
Try to get a routine / schedule going with homework as quickly as possible and stick to it. Get it out the way as quick as possible and ensure your children understand that homework still has to be done and will be done with structure and routine.
Trunki's Back To School Goodies!
With so much to think about and plan for, don’t forget that Trunki is here to help with getting the kids back to school in a fun and stress-free way...
We still have 15% off a collection of our back to school goodies. This includes our ToddlePak Backpacks, 2-in-1 Lunch Bag Backpacks, PaddlePak Swimming Bags, Snack Pots and Pencil Cases!
Our ToddlePak Backpacks are the perfect backpack buddy for your child. Designed with a padded back and straps for comfort, spacious capacity, drinks holder and hi visibility features for safety, our ToddlePak Backpacks will be a colourful and fun school companion that keeps all their possessions safe.
We also have school lunches covered with our EAT Range, which includes our 2-in-1 Lunch Bag Backpacks and Snack Pots. These colourful and multifunctional products will ensure school lunches are safe, fresh and fun all year round.
Finally we have our PaddlePak Swimming Bags. Paddlepak is perfect for keeping your little ones swimmers in ready for swimming lessons at school or at the weekends. These water-resistant roll-top bags are great at keeping wet swimming kit in till the end of the day and keeping the rain out on the walk home. Inspired by the creatures of the great blue sue, these colourful swimming bags will ensure your child's possessions are safe and dry whilst they find their feet in the water.
To take a look at all our Back to School offers, just click here!
Do you have any great back to school tips? Leave a comment and let us know how back to school has gone for your family.