Can you believe summer is coming to an end and another year of school is upon us? Less than 3 weeks and my kids will be back to school again. Unlike many parents, I am so not happy about this.
I love having my kids home, as weird as that may be. Plus, my firstborn is starting kindergarten!! We have two older kids (bonus kids for me), so I’m definitely not new to back to school, but it’s different when you’re doing the kindergarten thing for the very first time.
Anyway, although I’m dreading the kids going back to school, I have to get ready for it regardless. I’m working on getting all 3 of the kids ready.
Nevaeh is going to be a sophomore this year, Peyton is starting 6th grade (his first year of middle school!!), and Sylas is starting kindergarten. Needless to say, we have quite the preparation ahead of us.
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Ways to Get Ready For Back to School
1. Adjust bed time.
Summertime means staying up late… sometimes way too late. Back to school means a “normal” bedtime and waking up early. Bummer, right?
It’s another unfortunate aspect of back to school. To set your kids up for success, begin getting them back on their school schedule at least one week in advance.
2. Make a list of what you need.
Each grade requires different items but, for the most part, they all have similarities. Figure out what each of your kids needs (I found lists for my kids on their school’s website), and start making a list for yourself.
School clothes and shoes are other things you need a list for. I just went through my 5 year old’s closet to see how many pairs of jeans he has, how many t-shirts, etc. From there, I was able to determine how many new school clothes he needs.
3. Watch for back to school sales.
This year, Amazon has been my go-to. It’s actually become my go-to for pretty much everything, so you’re probably not surprised.
Seriously, though, you can find pretty much every brand and every price range on Amazon, and you can find awesome stuff that you can’t find in most stores.
4. Get into a routine.
This routine should be similar or exactly like the routine you use during the school year. My family got WAY off schedule this summer, so we have started our back-to-school schedule already! I just want them to be ready and start the school year on a good note.
Our back-to-school routine is more than just bedtime. It involves reading or writing around 4:00 pm, dinner at 6:00 pm, baths and stories at 7:00, and then bedtime (7:30 for the littles, a little later for our older kids).
5. Take your child to see their new classroom and meet their new teacher before the first day of school.
Most schools have open houses where this can happen but, if yours doesn’t, ask if you can bring your child in so that they are more comfortable on their first day of school.
6. Talk to them about all the exciting things they can look forward to.
Seeing their old friends, making new friends, field trips, recess, riding the bus, etc. Mention anything that excites your child about school.
7. Find another kid in your neighborhood who can be your child’s bus buddy.
With my little man starting kindergarten, I kept saying that I would never let him ride the bus. I feel that there isn’t enough supervision on buses and with him only being 5 years old, I still get a little bit crazy about how he is treated or if his feelings are hurt. (Don’t judge me, this is a judgment-free zone LOL!).
He reaaaaallly wants to ride a bus, however, and it would honestly make my life a million times easier. His big brother won’t be on that bus anymore since he is moving on to middle school, so I talked to another older kid in the neighborhood about keeping an eye on Sylas for me.
This other kid was actually really excited to help me out, and I think it made them feel even more mature. Plus, Sylas is excited to have a buddy on the bus already, especially since it is someone he has known (literally) his whole life and has looked up to.
Now, I’ll probably follow the bus to school the first couple of days, but at least I’m letting him get on it. 😉 The rest will be an adjustment for mama, later on, I suppose.
8. Discuss safety, bullying, respect, and other important topics with your kids.
When it comes to safety, you should make sure to talk about how to be safe on the bus, how to be safe when walking to school or to the bus, and even how to be safe in the classroom. Discussing bullying is SO important, as well, and I’m sure we all know why.
Talking to your kids about respect can cover almost any topic from following directions, respecting their teacher even when they disagree, respecting themselves and others, not doing gross things such as picking their nose, helping out when they see a need, etc. Whatever your definition of respect is, make sure you are instilling it into your children.
Bonus Tip
I have found that the best way to get kids in the back-to-school mindset is to get them their school supplies and back-to-school clothes. This gets them excited for the inevitable and helps them with the transition.
Back to School Checklist – Free Printable
Whatever grade your child is going into, I’ve got you covered. I created THREE free printables just for you guys, in order to make the process easier for you.
Where to Buy Inexpensive (but great quality!) School Supplies
My go-to for everything else is, of course, my go-to for school supplies, too. Amazon has AMAZING back-to-school deals, and you can buy packages of school supplies that contain almost everything your kids will need. Check out some of the deals I’ve scored this year down below.
Final Thoughts On Ways to Get Ready For Back to School
The end of summer is approaching quickly, and now is the time to begin preparing. These tips for getting ready for should help you, and the printables will help you make sure you have everything that your kids need for the first day.
What tips would you add to this list? What school supplies would you add to the free printables? Let me know in the comments!!
Great topic and awesome lists/printables. Getting your child’s immunizations up to date and annual physical. I have two children with hearing loss so I also have to prepare for additional school meetings.
Yes those are all good ones!! Thanks for reading!
Excellent tips! I especially love your wee checklist 😀 The immunizations is something I would never have thought of!
Thank you!!
Simple and effective! I really liked the portion on ‘adjusting your bed time.’ That goes for the kids AND the adults. And the printables are so fun!
So true, it definitely applies for adults as well! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this! These are great tips for preparing for school.
This is a really good list. My eldest starts first grade (our first year of school) next week and I feel like there’s so much still left to do before that first school day! Getting back to a routine and regular bedtimes has been insane, gah, have no idea how we’ll manage 😅 Alongside all the hands on practicalities, I think the most important point is talking about respect and bullying. That’s something we’ve worked on a lot, as my kids tend to say what comes to mind and I’m really hoping for a smooth start. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼
Sounds like you’ve prepared your child really well!! I’m sure he’ll do great! We’ve been talking a lot about respect and sticking up for others at our house, and I’m hoping it sticks. Thanks for reading!
Thank you for sharing. These are great tips!
Thank you for reading!
This is such a nice post! Getting them ready physically and mentally (after a long break) is a real challenge. Thanks for this amazing checklist too.
Thank you!
I really like your idea of introducing them to the teacher and classroom before the first day. It can be overwhelming and that would help a lot.
I think so, too! Thanks for reading!