AD Whether you love or loathe the long summer holidays the transition to going back to school can be a shock to the system. Both children and their parents need time to adjust to school starting again, but the difficult period can be made easier with a bit of planning. Follow these 10 tips for a smoother back to school period.

Tips To Ease Children into The New School Year

Have a smooth back to school period with these tips

Buy School Clothes Online

If you haven’t bought all the school uniform, shoes and accessories you need for the new school year then buying them online is the easiest option. It’s not ideal to spend precious holiday time in busy shops anyway, but combined with waiting in queues and the stark reminder that school starts again soon it will probably mean children aren’t in the best mood. Even if you have bought everything well in advance if you suddenly discover something is missing or no longer fits you can get next day delivery from Very on many items taking the stress out of uniform buying.

Adjusting To School Clothes And Shoes

Even if children are excited about going back to school there are lots of areas where it can take them time to adjust and one of these is what they wear. In the holidays they have probably been wearing light, comfy clothes and spending a lot of time barefoot or in sandals. The transition to tighter, more restrictive clothes can be difficult, with new school shoes being unfamiliar and often hard from being new. It can help if the shoes are worn around the house for a while before the term starts as this can soften up leather and help with the adjustment. 

The key part though is recognising that a shirt, tie and school trousers can feel very different to the soft and elasticated material they have been wearing, acknowledging the discomfort can help prevent it becoming a big issue.

New term means new shoes, but make sure they are comfortable

Encourage Their Personality 

If your children have been choosing what they are going to wear throughout the holidays then their sudden lack of choice as they go back into uniform can be hard. Give them some control by getting children involved in choose their new uniform and accessories where there is flexibility within school rules. Their school coat, bag and water bottle tend to be the items where they can really express their personality so browse online to find something they love and that they will be excited to take in each day. 

School bags and coats can be a great way for children to express their personality

Gradually Reintroduce Routine And Homework

Some families find it easier to continue with a strict routine during the holidays, others like to forget alarm clocks and reading practice. If your family prefers the latter then it can be worth slowly reintroducing more routine as you get closer to the school return date. Get bedtimes closer to term time and allocate regular time to read a book or do some writing or word puzzles. This will make the school routine and work less of a shock to the system.  The library can be a really helpful source of reading books whether children are in the early stages or they are free readers. 

Mealtimes And Snacks

School days means getting food at set times so this can be a bit of a struggle if they have got used to all day snacking. If you know the time of school lunches (many schools publish class timetables online) it can be worth changing to these if possible in the last week or days of the holidays. 

Remember when children go back they will probably be starving at pick up time so bring a tasty snack to that will boost their blood sugar and keep them going until dinner. Bananas, flapjacks and cheese can be great options. It can be tempting to bring sweets but the resulting sugar crash combined with after school restraint collapse will be painful for everyone.

Talk About The New Term

How are your children feeling about going back to school? Whether they verbalise it or not many children will have a few worries about going back and these can affect their behaviour in the last few days of the holiday. Try and take the time to discuss any anxieties or concerns your child may have about returning to school and help them address and overcome them. This might be talking through who their teacher is, where their classroom is and any other changes they might be nervous about. Arranging a catch up with a friend can help too. It’s also a great time to think about goals and what they might like to achieve this year to help them feel excited.

Try to talk through any concerns before school starts to help with those first day nerves

Consider A New Club

As part of their goals you might want to talk about if they want to start any new after school activities this year (and get their name down if there is a waiting list). A new term isn’t just about the school day.

Practice Toilet Breaks

Ok they may have been toilet trained for a long time, but if over the holidays they have been wearing elasticated shorts or dresses younger children might need a bit of practice with getting their school uniform on and off eg doing up buttons on trousers or pulling tights up. Even in Reception children are expected to go to the toilet independently so check if they will manage ok.  A week or so before schools go back is a great time to practice proper hand washing too to try and cut down on those back to school bugs. 

School mornings will be more relaxed if you plan them and make sure you have enough time

Plan Your Mornings

Plan your morning routine and practice how long you will need. It’s good to know now how long you’ll need to get everything ready and have breakfast before you have to do it in reality with the children. It can also help mornings go smoothly if you prepare as much as possible the night before including laying their uniform out. 

Prepare For After School Restraint Collapse

If you had your fair share of sibling fights over the holiday you might be looking forward to some peace and quiet, but being allowed to express their emotions freely at home is a good thing. Children know they can’t behave that way at school and having to be nice and polite to people all day is hard work. This tends to mean that when they come home after school during those first weeks back their behaviour is even worse. Whether it’s shouting at you or ignoring you completely they need a little time to chill out and unwind from school before they will feel up to talking about their new teacher and what they have been up to. There isn’t a lot you can do other than prepare yourself for it and bring snacks to pick up, but the good news is it normally only lasts a week or two.

Good luck

By following these tips and strategies, parents can help ease children back into school after the holidays and set them up for a successful and positive start to the new term. With some careful planning and preparation, the transition back to school can be a smooth and stress free experience for children and their families alike.

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Items featured in photographs include: Regatta Volcanics VII Reflective Waterproof Jacket, Baker By Ted Baker Blue Colourblock Coat, Hype Black Cosmos backpack, Hype Space Dinosaurs backback, Sketchers Bounder Tech Lightweight Trainer, Adidas x_plrpath Elasticated Trainers, Everyday Boys Polo Top, Everyday Boys cotton rich black joggers (from 3 pack) and Everyday black standalone jogger. Received from Very.