Back to School Tips

 The final week of the summer holidays 2011 are now upon us and kids and parents are now preparing for the new academic year.  There are so many things to remember so we have put together a checklist to help you, as a parent to prepare for September 2011 and onwards.  

1)      School uniforms and P.E kits make the first topic on our list.  By now you should have every item your child will need for the new term.  There are many items of clothing you will be able to use from last year, but crisp new shirts, socks, vests and pants should make your list of new things to buy.  Supermarkets now sell uniforms, P.E wear and shoes, my favourite is Asda, as it’s very reasonably priced and of good quality.  I actually buy a lot of my clothes from there myself! P.S Remember to name-label all items with a black sharpie.

2)      Back to School accessories are next on the list, new pens, pencils, rulers, notepads, school bags, and pencil cases make up some of the accessories.  Don’t forget wrapping paper for those new books you will be asked to wrap on the evening of their first day back to school!

3)      Sleeping pattern awareness.  Now is the time to start shifting your child back into the term time sleeping pattern.  Your child may be used to weeks of staying up that bit later in the evenings and longer mornings in bed, but it is really important to get them back into the term time sleep pattern in the week prior to starting back to school. Get them to bed at the usual time for a school night and up at the normal time to ensure a smooth transition for day one of the new term.  If you fail to ease them into the regular pattern they will be extremely tired in their first week; which will not be a lot of fun for them during school hours.

4)      Double check you have the correct finish time.  As different year groups have varying finishing times, make sure you have the right timings specific to their year.

5)      Check out what after school clubs and activities your school runs.  September is a good time to enrol your child in an after school club or activity that is of interest to them. 

6)      Check the schools policy of gadgets in the school, including rules on mobile phones, I-pods, I-pads, tablets etc.  If your child is permitted to bring such devices into the school grounds make sure you have ‘marked’ them with your details that may help if they are lost or stolen.

7)      Get the shopping in! When buying lunches check all the dates, it’s very easy to pick up a pack of yogurts with a sell-by date of 3 days away, but the back of the shelf has yogurts with a sell-by date of two weeks away.  Also, prepare the lunches in the evenings before bed… one less thing to do in the mornings!

8)      Have a bedroom clear out.  Now would be a good time to do a clean and clear out in your child’s bedroom.  Clear out old clothes and toys and start fresh for September, a clear out may present an opportunity for your child to have their own desk for completing homework, if you do not already own one.  Do remember you can sell unwanted goods of reasonable quality on Gumtree.com.  It is free to place an advertisement and you could make some cash, there are also services available to buy unwanted clothing.  Companies can pay 50 pence per kilo for clothing and bedding, 50pence may not sound a lot, but it does add up.

9)      Prepare your car. If you drive your children to school, it is worth having your car checked from a safety point of view, check the tyres, oil levels, water levels, and brakes, and read tips for winter driving that are available on the internet.  It is also a good idea to spend a few hours cleaning your car, give it a good hoover and internal polish, to make it a nice cosy environment for you and your little ones when travelling.

10)   If your child is aged between 7 and 11 why not join http://www.keystagetwo.com This is a virtual learning environment that successfully manages to combine fun games with education.  It concentrates on the subjects your child is learning in school and will help boost their grades in a fun and engaging way.  KeyStageTwo.com is National Curriculum compliant and is now being used in schools and homes throughout Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the R.O.I.  Now taking sign-ups for September 2011 at http://www.keystagetwo.com or try the Demo at http://www.keystagetwo.com/demo

Good Luck for the new term folks!