Preparing for the Back-to-School Transition

The first day of school is right around the corner. Now is the time to start making plans for a smooth transition out of summer. Here are some tips that may help!

Order School Supplies On-Line- I didn’t realize until my oldest had been in school for a couple of years that I was doing school supply shopping all wrong. It would take me forever strolling up and down the aisles finding the right type of glue stick. But did you know that stores like Target have options that will literally do that work for you? It can then be shipped or you can do a trunk pick up. Even more amazing is that most schools have their lists pre-loaded so you don’t even have to add each item, the app can do it for you.

Start the Sleep Routine Now– Help make the first week back a little less painful by adjusting your kids sleep schedules now. Particularly for those who have kids who like to sleep until noon during the summer, the sudden alarm clock when the sun is barely up can be a shock to the system.

Expect Tired Kids– Our school district has not been fully open since February of 2020. This will be the first time in a long time my kids have had five full days on-site at school. I am expecting them to be mentally and physically exhausted and hope I can remember to give them a little grace and the space they need. If possible, try not to plan too many extra things that first week back.

Prepare for Paper– Brace yourself for the newsletters, cafeteria menus, welcome notes from teachers; the list is long. That pile of papers is coming, so prepare yourself on where you are going to put it so it can stay somewhat organized. A few things I do on this one:

Date reminders- if we get something that has a date, I immediately put it into my phone calendar instead of lying to myself that I will remember to check that random piece of paper again.
Have a weekly folder or inbox to go through- for things I don’t look at right away, I put them in a folder to then go over on the weekend. The goal being to start it empty on Monday. That means if there are forms to fill out, do it over the weekend and send them in versus letting them just sit there. If there are things you need to keep, have an actual landing spot.
Determine what to keep, what to recycle- You cannot keep all the art work they bring home. I select some items to put in a “memories” tote we keep in the garage (ok we have like 4 at this point), some I will hang inside a cabinet since I am not one to have a fridge covered in pictures and paintings. Others, you simply must recycle or tell your kids they are going to be hanging in your office (wink wink).

Get Back in the Lunch Groove– School lunches will be free for all students through this school year, but if your child prefers lunches from home and remote learning and summer have impacted your lunch game, now is the time to get back in the groove. Talk to your kids about things like how often they can eat school lunch and what things they want for their pre-made lunches. My daughter is a vegetarian and wouldn’t touch a school lunch with a ten foot pole whereas my son loves the most random cafeteria lunches. Be ready for five days of lunches because it has likely been awhile. Maybe even recruit your kids to make their own lunches!

Get Back in the Dinner Planning Groove– I am not a meal planning mom. Sure, I have tried or had phases here and there where I sort of did it. But it is not something I can say I ever really succeeded in. If you are a varsity meal planner, now is the time to sharpen those skills and get ready for the school year and a busier calendar. If you are more my speed, I suggest making a list on Sundays of what your family will eat. You don’t have to prep it, but just know based on the week ahead what will realistically work for you so you’re not scrambling for ideas every night.

Mom, you’ve got this! We might still be in a pandemic but think about today versus a year ago. I am grateful to have come this far and to have much less uncertainty than we did at the beginning of last school year.

Are you feeling ready for this school year? We’d love to hear!