Who’s ready for for their kids to head back to school?!?
It’s a bittersweet time. We love summer and try to eke maximum fun and relaxation out of each day. But by the end of three months, the kids are ready for a little structure and daily time with their friends.
The transition, though? That is tough.
It takes a few weeks to get into the swing of a new school year.
The shopping list? One plastic purple folder with prongs and pockets. One paper yellow folder without prongs. Boys bring two black fine-tip Sharpies; girls bring two chisel-tip Expo erasable markers. Some marked with names; others definitely not.
Other challenges for the kids:
- Detoxing from electronics
- Getting into a schedule
- Overcoming anxiety
- Homework
Other challenges for us, as parents:
- Waking up earlier to pack lunches and ensure homework is finished
- Deciding how involved to be this school year
- Finding a balance between schoolwork, extracurriculars and downtime.
But there are ways to make back-to-school easier. Read on for great tips from other mamas from across City Mom Collective’s vast network. But first, a few thoughts from the Department of Education.
Do you struggle with how much to help your child with homework? Here’s a great checklist for appropriate ways to be supportive without doing the homework yourself. (And let’s face it — most parents have at least thought about that as a quicker, less painful option from time to time.) Educators suggest setting regular times daily for homework, reading teachers’ comments on completed assignments and helping your child get organized.
And I love this month-by-month guide to a successful school year.
Kindness counts
Most of all, as the first day of the 2021-22 school year approaches, let’s all remember to be kind.
If your child is at a new school, take a breath. Your baby (no matter how old) will make friends. If you have been at one school for awhile, please gently remind your kiddos to befriend the new kids. To ask anyone who might be sitting on the sidelines to join the pack.
And to those veteran parents… try to remember how it felt your first day at the school — please take a moment to say hello to the new parents, too. They’re likely feeling as nervous as their kiddos.
Back to School Tips from Other Moms
Listen, when it comes to back to school, City Mom Collective is the expert. We are a collective of nearly 100 sister sites in cities across the United States (and military abroad). Thousands of smart moms write for our organization.
Below, we have collected some of the best tips and advice from across our network to make the transition smoother and easier. Enjoy!
Transitions
Each and every year, moms everywhere start to mentally prepare themselves for their toddler’s first day of pre-school. This is my year… For the past four years, my son has been by my side, as I work remotely. Fast-forward to… 1/27/2020
Preparing for Pre-school
My 3.5 year old son will make the big transition from Preschool to Pre-K3 this Fall. Many children in the area make this change at this age since D.C. offers free, public Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 through its lottery system. To say I’m a mix of emotions is… 8/15/2019
The Big Transition from Preschool to Pre-K
It’s that time of year again! Summer is in full swing. Vacations, long days at the pool, and laid back schedules have become the norm. With each passing day, we are inching closer and closer to the beginning of another school year. Whether you … 8/30/2019
Confessions of a Kindergarten Teacher: What Your Child Really Needs to Know Before Starting Kindergarten
[vc_column_text]When you dropped your child off to preschool for the first time, you and your little one probably had tears, anxiety, and a bit of resistance. Although the drop-offs get easier over time as they get older, transitioning to the next sc… 8/5/2019
Helping Your Child Through the Middle School Transition –A Whole New World
Right about now, the reality is setting in for us parents of fifth graders. We have just a few precious months before we send our kids into that character-building, tumble-dry cycle that is Middle School. It’s time for us to suck up our own feeling… 3/11/2020
Middle School: It’s Coming Whether We Want It or Not
I am not good with transition. Even though I am a forty-eight-year-old mom of three teenagers, once I settle into my happy place, it’s very hard for me to snap back into reality and follow a routine. This lack of resilience to change is only gettin… 8/9/2021
A Mom’s Musings :: Transition From Summer to School
Who is ready to return to in-person school this fall? We may be in one of two categories: can’t wait to return to the classroom or more concerned because our child did remote learning all last year. The reality that schools are re-o… 7/18/2021
Heading Back To School After a Pandemic: Are We Ready?
First Day of School
Get your cameras ready momtographers! The kids are going back to school! Get your first day photo with this First Day Of School Printable! The start of each school year is a great time to interview your child! Here is a list of the questions y… 7/22/2022
First Day Of School Printable!
As a mom of an elementary school graduate, a 4th-grader, and a Kindergartner starting the elementary journey this fall, I’ve learned what I need to do to get these kids prepped and ready for that first day of school (and beyond): scale back late be… 7/13/2021
How to Prepare (Yourself) for Elementary School :: Real-Mom Tips and Tricks
The first day of school is just around the corner for several OC school districts and for many moms including myself, we are filled with emotions. Feelings of frustration, relief, and uncertainty. But if you can (and I know it’s hard), we should ta… 8/4/2022
Fun Ways to Celebrate The First Day of School
More than likely, if you are reading this blog post, you have children that are about to start school. No matter what age, pre-k to high school (maybe even college), getting back into a routine of going to school is sometimes hard. Keep readin… 7/27/2022
How to Prepare for the First Week of School
I am the mom who carefully double checks the packing list for summer camp. Mentally, I found myself considering this first year like an extended summer camp, except that no packing list came with the college acceptance letter.
… 8/30/2019
Preparing for College Drop-Off Day
Getting Organized
The time has come (and many of you Mamas have eagerly awaited!) to send those kiddos back to school. We are all too happy … until we figure out all the planning and organization that goes into actually getting them to the school. Ugh. So how ca… 5/2/2020
Getting Organized for Back to School
The new school year is here, and that means backpacks will be headed home filled with forms, flyers, classwork, and art. It will be your job to determine what to keep, organize and store, and what to recycle. I will admit that when my oldest st… 8/16/2019
Trash or Treasure? How to Organize School Papers, Memories and Art
I love walking into a super organized classroom! It feels calm, clear and everyone knows what to expect. I love creating simple systems with the families that I work with. It creates accountability and solutions. I love creati… 5/27/2020
Schoolwork and Homework: Set up Systems for Success
I realized today that my kids only have a month left of summer (and some schools are going back THIS WEEK!) which means we have two paychecks until they start school. That means it is time for me to start making a plan for what we need to get before … 7/19/2021
Back to School on a Budget
Your go-to guide of Fort Worth Moms Blog posts about all things related to going back to school — whether for your little ones or for yourself.
… 9/3/2019
Back to School Blitz :: Everything You Need to Know in One Spot
With summer almost over (or over for some today!), school prep is in order. For me, it means it’s time to deal with the stack of last year’s school papers sitting on my dining room table. This stack includes all the special pap… 3/23/2020
The Procrastinator’s Guide to Organizing Kid’s School Papers
Health
On the Fort Worth Moms team alone, we found ourselves asking so many questions about how the return of school would impact our families. We figured you have questions too.
… 8/5/2021
COVID-19 & Back to School 2021 :: Panel Discussion with Local Experts
Back to school is an exciting time! Back to school when you have a child with Type One Diabetes is a whole different ballgame. Our daughter was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes when she was 3 years old. Diabetes is an autoimmune disease which attacks… 7/29/2019
Back to School with Type One Diabetes
No results :/
Will my teacher(s) be nice? Where will our classroom be located? Will I get a lot of homework? Who will I eat with at lunch? What will I eat at lunch? Who will I sit by on the bus? Will my daughter learn what she needs to? Will she make new friends? … 9/16/2019
Advice from a Teacher-Mom: Reducing Back-to-School Anxiety
I will sit in the meeting and spend the entire half hour fighting the urge to stand on the table and shout, “Please don’t rush me! This is IMPORTANT! He doesn’t look sick, and he can fly under your radar, and I need you to UNDERSTAN… 9/23/2019
The Hidden War :: Facing School with Pediatric OCD
