Ensuring Your Children are Prepared for their School Return.

(Collaborative Content) If you have had a wonderful Christmas break with your children then they may be dreading the return to school in the coming weeks. Being off school for a week or two can mean your child is out of routine and happy being at home with you and their siblings. It is wonderful spending quality time with your family, however, you should also be mindful of how they will cope with the return to school after the holidays. The article below will give you some tips and tricks on how to prepare for their return to school. 

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Uniform

One of the first things you need to do is sort out uniforms. They may still be in the washing pile waiting to be washed from the end of term. This is the case for many parents as they don’t want to wash uniforms while the kids aren’t at school. If this is the case then you will need to get it washed and dried in ample time ready for your treasures going back to school. If your children aren’t a fan of wearing uniforms then you may need to take some extra time to get them used to it again. 

Reminders

Children will need constant reminders about their upcoming school return. They get so engrossed in their daily activities that when the time comes to go back, you don’t want to just spring it on them. This will come as a huge shock and they won’t have prepared themselves for it. If you start reminding your children about a week before they are due to go back then this will give them the adjustment period they need. You may even like to create a countdown for your children if they need a visual aid to go by. They can tick off the days leading up to the school return or peel off days and put them in a basket. 

Routine

It is important that your children get back into their usual school routine a couple of days before they are due back. This will probably mean no more late nights or lay-ins in the morning. Some children won’t have ventured too far from their usual routine, so there may just need to be a few tweaks here and there. Get your children used to their alarm clocks again, as awful as they are. 

Arrange Trips

When children go back to school they may have some trips to look forward to. There are plenty of things that the school will do to welcome their children back. One such method that is commonly used is residential trips for schools. This is done as a way of getting children used to being back at school but still having fun and meeting their friends at the same time. If your child’s school has arranged something like this then talk to your child and see if they want to go. 

Meet Up

Sometimes it can seem like there isn’t much time during the Christmas holidays to do anything, go anywhere, or meet up with anyone. However, it can be great for both you and your children if you arrange some playdates with their school friends. This can also settle them before they go back to school and they won’t be apprehensive about seeing their friends again. If you are on a group chat with the school mums then you could arrange a get-together either at someone’s house or at a soft play centre somewhere. 

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Listen To Them

If your children come to you with worries or concerns about the return to school then make sure you listen to them. Stop whatever it is you are doing and give them your full attention. This could be a concern about a teacher they don’t like or a pupil that they have difficulty with. Whatever they tell you, make sure you are always reassuring them that you will help them with their difficulties. This will give them the confidence that you are always on their side when things aren’t going right. 

Carry On Learning

Finally, children need a break from their learning when they are on school holidays. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t do fun and educational things. You could set up a home cinema where they have to sell tickets and snacks to family members before they can watch the films. You could also get them to create the tickets. This gives them a chance to develop their creative and mathematical skills while also having a great time. 

We hope you found this article helpful and that it gave you some useful ideas on how to prepare your children for their return to school.