With the summer holidays coming to a close for another year the back to school preparations are well under way again! We’ve read a lot in the last couple of weeks about the cost of getting your child ready for heading back to school; including costly school supplies and equipment. However, it isn’t just the material preparations that parents have to think about, parents spend a lot of time getting their kids ready for school emotionally too.

Here we take a look at some of the things that parents can do for themselves and their kids to ensure a smooth transition into the school year.

Establish before and after-school routines.
Discuss and plan the changes in you and your child’s daily routine that will happen once school starts, focusing on morning and evening routines. Where possible, agree week day and weekend get up and sleep times to differentiate between the school days and days off.

Talk to your children about their concerns.

The start of school is exciting, but can also bring some anxiety for children, no matter their age, especially when it comes to the unknown. Take some time to ask your kids what they are most looking forward to during the school year, and what things may be worrying them. By giving them a forum to express their concerns, you can help them work through any worries in advance of school starting and clear up any issues sooner rather than later.

Get to know new teachers.
Take the opportunity to meet with teachers, where possible, at the beginning of the school year. Try to find a few minutes before or after school to connect one-on-one with the teachers. If this is not possible, may be try to send an introductory email that includes how you can help during the school year, however big or small.

Encourage good homework habits
As your child enters a new school year the nature of their homework will no doubt change. It’s a good idea to try and gain an understanding of what they have been studying in the classroom and where homework fits in. You and your child should agree upon a regular schedule for when homework will be done, and for how long. This should provide some structure but should also be flexible. Think about whether your child prefers to do homework in shorter chunks or devote a longer session to complete it in one go.

Set some goals
Work with your child to set goals for new the school year. Try and support them to set realistic goals for the new year, such as reading 30 books. For older children link goals to specific study objectives – these could be related to course work and or exams. Both long term and short term goals that are measurable and achievable will help give focus to the year and keep you engaged with your child’s progress.

Wishing everyone a smooth transition into the new school year.

Have we missed any top tips? Let us know, tweet @parenthub_uk