School is Starting, Ready or Not!

Five Preparation Tips for a Successful School Year

Tip 1) Bring a good attitude to school. 

Prepare your child for the new school year. Vacation time is coming to an end. The travels, swimming and sleep in mornings are almost over. A new school year brings excitement, anticipation but also some fears and worries. Before school starts, talk with your child about the coming year. Ask them about their fears and hopes. Write down their thoughts and have fun reviewing the list at the end of the school year. Help your child become excited about the start of a new school year.

Tip 2) Get organized. 

Each night prepare what your child needs to bring to school the next day. Collect the papers, books or items needed for the following day. Lay out the clothes they will be wearing.
Gathering everything together the previous night makes the morning go a lot smoother. It also prevents trying to find a missing shoe in the morning when you are already late. When you are prepared, it is possible to get into the car with everyone still in a good mood.

Tip 3) Provide enough sleep. 

Prepare for school by making sure your child had enough sleep the night before. How much sleep does your child require? Check out the recommendations by the National Sleep Foundation. Count backward from the time your child needs to get out of bed each morning. This will tell you when your child’s bedtime should be.
I always recommend an early bedtime. The early sleep is the most restorative for your child’s body and brain. I usually recommend that early elementary and pre-school age children should be in bed by 7:30 PM.

Tip 4) Provide a bedroom that invites sleep. 

Prepare your child’s sleep environment to encourage sleep. Keep their bedroom dark with room-darkening blinds or curtains. A dark room will make it easier for your child to go to bed when it is still light outside.
Use a white noise machine to block noise which could interfere with their sleep.

Tip 5) Choose what is important. 

Your child will learn to value what you value.

– Make learning and reading books together a priority. Enjoy book reading as a part of the bedtime routine each night.

– Do not over whelm your child with too many extra activities in the evening. Try to schedule sports or other events on one evening or one weekend day.

-Teach your child that sleep is important. During sleep, their brain takes what they learned and moves it into long-term memory. Sleep is just as important as the time they spent in their classroom.

-A well-rested child has an easier time managing their own emotions and behavior. This makes it easier for the child to behave in the classroom, participate and learn.

Following these Five Tips will lead to a more enjoyable and successful school year.