It’s that time of year again! The time where summer is quickly coming to an end and it’s time to get back to reality. Although we’ll all miss the late night movie nights and the fun family time spent with each other, all good things must come to an end.

This school year will look much different with the current pandemic ravaging the country. I do believe though, that readying ourselves and our children for the new school year is important. So, whether you choose to homeschool, have your child attend school virtually, or are sending your child for in class learning, this blog is for you.

Here are a few things we do as a family to get our children ready for the new school year. Congratulations! You’ve made it through the summer, now let’s get ready for a successful school year!

Start transitioning your family from their summer routine to their school routine

Chances are your summer has been spent with late nights and even later mornings. It’s important for your child to get readjusted to their upcoming schedule change. We normally begin our transition a week or two before the start of the new school year. 

Limit Screen Time

If your summer has gone anything like ours, there has been an embarrassing amount of time spent in front of screens. Whether watching movies, or playing video games, now is the time to cut back on the amount of time your child spends in front of screens.

Our children don’t normally watch television during the school week, so breaking them of their excessive screen time before we begin our school year helps. 

Take advantage of sales

Back to school sales are happening all over the place, now is the time to take advantage of the sales on clothing, shoes, and school supplies. Take a trip to your local Walmart, Target, or office supply store and stock up on all of your school supply needs. Students will still need school supplies even if you’re choosing a virtual option.

Disclaimer: I’m convinced that my kids eat pencils, so I make sure I grab a few extra boxes of pencils and crayons and store them for later.

Purchase your Books

If you’re a homeschooling family, make sure you purchase your curriculum for the school year a few weeks in advance. Pre ordering your curriculum will save you time and headaches, especially if you receive the wrong order. It’s happened to me before, and I want to spare you the trauma. 

Finish all summer homework assignments.

 If your child will be returning to school, make sure all assigned summer homework is complete. Don’t wait until the last minute to complete assignments. Take time to look over assignments to make sure they aren’t sloppy or look like they were rushed to complete. 

Review last year’s subjects

 Conduct a review of last year’s subjects with your child. Give your child a chance to refresh their memory on key terms or math formulas that were used in previous classes. The refresh can help  build on new concepts that will be introduced in the new school year. 

Tour the school

If your child has transitioned from elementary to junior high, or junior high to high school in the last school year, take a tour of your child’s new school and let them get acquainted with their new surroundings. Meet your child’s teacher and get a copy of their new schedule.

While touring your child’s new school may not be an option this summer, make sure to introduce yourself in an email to new teachers.

Prepare your study space

If you are homeschooling, getting your home school space ready is important to having a stress free school year. Get rid of old paperwork and previously used curriculum. Make sure your learning space is clean and ready for the new school year.

If your child is attending school, or learning virtually, create a space that is free of clutter. The space can be used as a place to study and complete homework assignments.

Create a menu

There is a lot of hustle and bustle when getting organized for the new school year. Creating a menu for your family will make things much easier. Stock up on breakfast and lunch items. Put together a dinner menu to help make your evening routine run smoother.

Look up new crockpot recipes to make life even easier. Crockpot recipes are great to put together in advance and freeze until ready to use. 

Relax 

Take the time to enjoy the last few days of summer by spending time relaxing with your family. Relaxation time with your family will help reduce stress that comes along with this time of transition.

Give yourself a pat on the back mama, you survived distance learning like a champ. Let’s make transitioning into this school year as smooth as possible for our students.

This school year may be a bit different than what we’re used to, but we’ve learned how to be flexible since our kids were babies. We got this!