The first day of school is rapidly approaching. Are your kids ready? Are you ready? Welcome to the August About Parenting blog carnival. This month, we are talking about getting children, from preschoolers to young adults, off to a good start in school.
Young Children, Anxiety and Preparations for School
- Katherine Lee, the Guide to School-Age Children has a son who has a problem with transitions, but she has learned from experience to take the long view on school anxiety and encourages other parents to do so also.
- Amanda Rock, Guide to Preschoolers, provides many practical tips on preparing your child to start preschool, including inviting children who might be in your child's class over for playdates, visiting the school, reading books on the subject and more.
- Positive Parental Participation blogger Vivian Kirkfield has advice for parents of young children who are anxious about starting school. Like many of us, she is a believer in the power of books and includes three children's books and related activities in her recommendations for parents.
- Lauren Child's I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (pictured above) and First Grade Stinks! are just two of the children's books about starting school that I recommend.
- If you are worried about separation anxiety when your child starts school, Edge Views blogger and social worker Dana Aderhold has some helpful tips, including creating a goodbye ritual like the one she and her husband have used with their son, which they call the Jedi Goodbye.
Getting Tweens to College-Age Ready for School
- Tween Parenting Guide Jennifer O'Donnell shares tips on shopping for school supplies and locker accessories, as well as preparing your tween for middle school.
- Young Adults Guide Jackie Burrell provides lots of helpful information for anxious parents rushing to get everything done before their college freshman's dorm move-in day. Jackie not only provides tips on making move-in day easier, she also covers the hidden costs of college and dealing with all of the paperwork.
Family Involvement
- Terri Mauro, Guide to Parenting Special Needs Children, has an assignment for parents of children with special needs. Terri created a comprehensive back-to-school reading list for parents of children with special needs and recommends doing some reading in preparation for advocating effectively with the teachers, therapists, and others who will be working with the children.
- Grandparents Guide Susan Adcox not only has some great tips for grandparents who live near their grandchildren on ways they can support their school-age grandchildren, she also has advice for long-distance grandparents on how they can help. Be sure and read the "Comments" section also.
- Get the entire family involved with back-to-school activities and crafts to get your kids excited about the start of school. Family Crafts Guide Sherri Osborn also includes some activities that she says, "will help jump start your kid's brain after a long and lazy summer."
Getting Back on a Daily Schedule
- Working Moms Guide Katherine Lewis has some great suggestions for making sure your family gets organized and back on a schoolday routine for the school year after a summer of varying schedules. I like her idea of doing a trial run before school starts to make sure everyone can get up and get ready on time.
- Catherine Holecko, Family Fitness Guide, reminds us that the start of school should also include an emphasis on health and fitness. She includes some tasty recommendation for healthy snacks as well as advice. Catherine stresses that we should all, "Start the school year on a healthier, more active note to reduce stress and lower the risk of illness and injury."
(Cover art courtesy of Candlewick Press)
I love these ideas, but most of all, the book cover you used at the top right. My kids adore that series and I’m so glad to know there’s one on starting school.
WOW! Thank you, Liz, for bringing together so many experienced advisors who share their thoughts, tips and tactics to help parents with the issue of starting school. The advice covers a wide span of children’s ages (from preschool to teens) and advice (from resetting the daily routine to fun-filled activities and great books that may help relieve a child’s (or parent’s) anxieties. Sometimes the amount of sites and info available can be overwheming, but, by putting it all under one “carnival” roof, you’ve provided a great service to all parents of school-age kids!
my child age is 5 years old. sometimes he is willing for going to school, for sometimes he is willing to go school.this became a great problem to me. one reason is he didnot went to bed early. suggest some measurements to cure this problem
Nice tips!
Getting schoolers to bed early is really hard to do,kids love stressing out their energies before going to bed.
Believe it or not but with my 6 year old kid – which is, I think 10 years old minded kid, is very considerate when it comes to rush hour in the morning. She wakes up early, eat fast, and absolutely no play in the early morning. So we never had been late going to school.
Dear Elizabeth-
Thank you for your very helpful hints about the beginning of school. As a divorce attorney, one important item that needs to be addressed with staff is a recent divorce or separation.