Preparing For Back to School

The school year is drawing closer, causing kids and adults alike to feel excitement and stress about the upcoming changes. Kids who are starting school for the first time or moving to a new school have to make the biggest adjustments, but even moving up a grade comes with new challenges. The good news is that a little preparation can make those first weeks of school easier for your kids and yourself.

Get Familiar With The School

If your kids were at the same school last year, you only need to talk about differences they may encounter this year. If they’re starting a new school, you’ll want to take your child to walk around and learn where everything is. The more your child sees of the school, the less they’ll fear the unknown and be more comfortable on the first day. If they’ll be walking to school, walk the route with them. Otherwise, make sure they know where to catch the bus or where to meet their carpool.

Sleep Schedule

Forcing an early bedtime the night before school starts will result in a child who simply isn’t ready for a successful day. Having slept in that morning and trying to sleep with the night-before-school jitters, you can expect little sleep, a struggle to wake up, and everyone’s anxiety to escalate. To prevent this, keep an eye on the calendar and start moving bedtime a bit earlier each night leading up to the first day.

Teach Your Children to Plan

Planning skills aren’t something you’re born with, you have to practice and cultivate them. We devoted an entire blog post about teaching children to plan, which you can read here. Remember to let your children pick out their own planner and teach them how to use it effectively.

Opportunities For Discussion

Before school, prepare your child by talking to them about their feelings. Ask them questions such as “Do you feel prepared? Do you have any questions?”. Avoid asking questions like “Are you nervous?” which will lead them toward anxious answers.

Once school starts, talking to your child about school should become a daily occurrence. Don’t just ask “How was school today?”, but instead ask them to tell you one new thing they did and learned or one thing they liked and one that was difficult. This not only gives you an opportunity to learn what they are doing and how they feel about school, but also provides an opportunity for you to show them that it’s normal to have both good and bad days and it’s important to talk about both.

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Meet Nichole Welch! She’s a mom, military wife, chemist, and runner and is constantly juggling these roles.

Here’s what she had to say about her Franklin Planner:

“I was in high school when [my mom] took me to the Franklin Planner store and I purchased my very first Franklin Planner. That was my source of planning for several years, until college when I attempted several other systems. In 2020, I realized everything I was trying was just not functional or helping me be productive. I decided to go back to the system I know works.

“Planning allows me to juggle the many hats I carry, without information and tasks slipping through the cracks. Other systems did not flow the same and I would often forget or lose where I had written information. Even when times are busy, I can rest easy knowing all my information has been placed in the right spot to make me the most productive the next day. I have become a go-to source for information, and my colleagues are confident that I can take in a large volume of tasks and follow through with them, thanks to my Franklin Planner.

“My favorite thing about the Franklin Planner system is that there is a variety of binders and inserts in varying colors and designs, but the system remains the same. Instead of being thrown in on your own, Franklin Planner supplies plenty of online training to help you understand that system. It is reliable, and it works.”

You can hear more from Nichole on her Instagram @the_planner_experiment where she shares her favorite planning products and advice on how to keep organized.