7 Tips for Helping Students Get Ready for the New School Year
1) Have Conversations About the Transition Back to School
There were a lot of unknowns entering the 2020-2021 school year. The first day of school will bring fewer questions and more normalcy next month. Nevertheless, transitioning from summer break to school can be challenging.
Begin reminding your student that the school year is on the way and schedules will need to be adjusted.
Don't let the first day of school sneak up on you or your children.
2) Meet Their New Teachers if Possible
If it is possible, set up a time to meet your child's new teachers. This will help reduce the unknowns on the first day of school, and you can establish an all-important line of communication that will prove beneficial throughout the year.
3) Limit Screen Time for the Next Few Weeks
While your student may see the end of summer break as the time to pack in as much screen time, movies, shows, and video games as possible, parents must begin making the transition back to school-year standards for screen time as soon as possible.
If there is still time, you might take a week or two to gradually transition back to normal expectations for screens, rather than shifting all at once.
4) Plan for Sleep and Nutrition
Unfortunately, whether your family has been traveling or staying mostly at home, sleep schedules and nutrition can get off track during the summer break.
One of the most important steps you can take over the next few weeks is to help students get plenty of sleep and eat well.
Proper sleep and nutrition can positively affect cognition, focus, and energy levels throughout the school year. However, improper sleep and nutrition can have a domino effect of negative consequences:
- Going to bed too late can make waking up challenging
- Waking late can lead to non-nutritious breakfast solutions
- Too little sleep can cause irritability and lack of focus
- Irritability and inability to focus can make it difficult to complete homework assignments
- Unfinished homework assignments can delay dinner and bedtimes
- Another late bedtime can turn the lack of sleep and proper nutrition into a cycle that eventually leads to a spiral
We do not mean to be "doom and gloom" about sleep and nutrition. Nevertheless, it is important to plan to make health and wellness a priority during the school year.
5) Develop Space for Homework and Studying
The last few years have brought many changes to the way in which we use our homes. Kitchen tables and living rooms became makeshift offices as work and school shifted to remote solutions. While schools have returned to in-person instruction, many parents continue to work from home.
You know how challenging it can be to concentrate when you don't have a dedicated office space. It is time to create spaces in your home conducive to work for both students and parents.
You may not be able to dedicate an entire room to study but give your students some measure of dedicated space for studying.
6) Buy a New Backpack
Who doesn't like getting new things? Has your child been using the same backpack for years? Is it showing its age? Have they outgrown it?
Go backpack shopping with your child before the school year begins. They will enjoy getting to choose something new that suits their personality, and you can make sure it is the right size and will be comfortable all year long.
7) Create a Calendar
There will be times this year when school feels like chaos. However, you can mitigate a lot of that by establishing a calendar and a workflow for using it. While you may use a digital version that syncs across devices, it is a good idea to have a hard copy visible within your home as well.
Make sure all projects, tests, and homework make their way into the calendar. Additionally, you will want to use it to build in time to study as well.
Work with your child to plan ahead, develop a color-coding system, and set realistic expectations for how to use it. However, don't let the calendar be a source of stress.
Build in some flexibility so that if you get off track, you can adjust and reorganize.
One of the most important things you can do to prepare your students for a great school year is to choose an excellent school.
The Crenshaw philosophy engenders respectful and collaborative relationships throughout the community, at home, and at school.
From a young age, we focus on nurturing the child's capacity for intellectual inquiry, analysis, problem-solving, and independence of thought, as well as mastery of basic skills. If you would like to know more about our school, contact us today.