Back‑to‑School: A Parent’s Complete Prep Guide
As summer winds down, the buzz of a new school year is building!
To help you avoid the last‐minute rush and ensure your child starts their year with confidence, we’ve pulled together a go‑to guide — packed with advice, essential tasks, and a shopping list to help with those last-minute purchases!
Get Your Family Calendar Set
- Note any key dates on a visible calendar or digital diary, including term start and end dates, teacher training days, parents’ evenings, sports days, school photo days and holidays. This should help everyone in the home know what’s going on and when.
Adjust Sleep & Routine
- With six weeks holiday, the bedtime routine is bound to have fallen by the wayside. Try and ease back into the routine at least a week before term and re-introduce any quiet time before bed.
Label Everything
- Avoid any mix-ups or lost items by labeling anything leaving the house (maybe even your child!) Clothing, shoes, bottles, snack boxes, pencil cases…
Complete Admin & Paperwork
- If you are starting a new school, you may have some paperwork to complete. Or maybe you have some to update – get ahead of the curve and complete any emergency contacts, medical info, permission slips, transport and club sign‑ups you may have received.
Practice the Route
- A quick trial run of the school route (especially if you’re starting somewhere new), could help reduce some of the first day back stresses!
Prep Food & Backpacks
Plan and pack lunches/snacks ahead of time to avoid the morning scramble and pack any bags the night before.
Re‑visit social readiness: Talk about school day expectations, routines, and feelings to ease anxiety
