Back to school can be a stressful time for children and parents alike. The need to return to a busy schedule and the intense demands of school can be intimidating for all. However, keep the following in mind to help with the transition:
Don’t Wait Until the Last Day
Start to prepare your child for their back to school routine a few weeks before school resumes. Practice setting a school time bed routine with early bed times and early awakenings. Get your child structured with reading, back to school reading assignments, and brush up on lessons learned from the end of the last grade. Enforce screen time rules and encourage your child to enjoy the end of summer. Enlist your child in back to school shopping so they can get excited about the new school year by helping to buy some of their necessary items.
Meet the Teachers
Most schools arrange teacher-student/parent meet ups before the school year. These orientations can help students and parents be prepared for the next year. Your child will bemore comfortable with his or her new environment after returning to school, meeting old friends and learning about the teachers expectations for the upcoming year. Getting your child back into the frame of mind of doing well in school is important!
Annual Health Checkup
Make sure your childs annual physical and vaccinations are up to date before returning to school. It’s easier to get this off your ‘to-do’ list during the less busy summer months. You can call our offices in Takoma Park, Greenbelt or Gaithersburg MD to see if they are up to date with their annual physical. If not, the provider will conduct a comprehensive health checkup for your kid and also provide you with the essential documents you’ll need to provide to the school. Please be sure to bring these forms to the check up and please remember it takes us a week to complete the paperwork.
These are a few tips to help prepare you and your child for a successful back to school routine!
