Following months of gallivanting, having to come up with ideas and activities to keep your child entertained and navigating childcare, the summer holidays are nearly over.
Regardless of your child’s age, going from weeks of holidays to another academic year can be a challenging process. For children, it triggers the end of their freedom, for parents it is the eagerly awaited return of normality, but no matter how well received the upcoming return to school is, there are a variety of steps and actions you can take, for you both, to make the transition less jarring.
Uniforms and supplies
Costly, time consuming and requiring more forethought than a psychic reading, the annual stockpiling of school supplies is not for the weak. If the thoughts of trying to talk your young fella into trying on a new jumper is one you have been actively avoiding, be warned the back to school rush for uniforms and school clothes is a rat race.
To cut costs, you can swap expensive pre-sewn crested uniform jumpers for an affordable, easy to replace and launder jumper, and get the crest sewn on, or try it yourself if you are handy with a needle and thread. It is also worth checking out local sales websites like Adverts.ie or Facebook marketplace to see if there are any second hand uniforms for sale, and it is recommended to each out to your child’s school and enquire if there is an in house uniform exchange. It is always handy to have a back up of each uniform, especially since the trap of realising that your child’s uniform is dirty or unwearable just before a school day, is as old as the hills.
Once you have returned from your hunting and gathering, label everything. Whether you opt to sew on name tags, use wonderweb (wonderful invention ) to iron them on, or even use a permanent fabric marker to write initials discretely on a tag, not labelling your child’s school clothes is an expensive mistake to make. All it takes is one warm day in a classroom to trigger the great Irish school jumper swap, and inevitably there is always one jumper that has fallen off the face of the earth. Save yourself the heartache and phone data and make finding the rightful owner of your child’s uniform as efficient as possible.
When it comes to obtaining school books and supplies, local bookshops are king. With most bookshops currently running their annual back to school sale, now is the time to write a list, over estimate for things like pens and crayons by about 25 per cent and make the most of deals on items that you will always need. Bulk buy items like pens, crayons and funky pencil cases and stash them somewhere out of sight. You may never need them, but it is unlikely and nothing helps to calm a worked up and upset child down like new pack of markers out of the blue.
For specific academic materials like workbooks and textbooks, reach out to your child’s school and see if there is a second hand book exchange programme you can take part in. Unless an updated revised copy has been explicitly requested in your child’s school list, opting for an older, second hand book, can save you a significant amount of money.
Routine
Thanks to the delights of daylight savings time, and the rapidly diminishing ‘grand stretch’, getting your child into bed when it is still light outside is a battle of epic proportions. Nevertheless, beginning the process of reintroducing school-time schedules for things like waking up, going to sleep and meal times, at least two weeks in advance, can save so many tears at bedtime.
Children love to be included in processes and plans, so playing up the importance of getting them ready and making it a team exercise is a vital part in making the process engaging for your little one. Why not take it one step further and pick up new school pyjamas, or a bed set or a book. For those who respond well to rewards but poorly to bedtimes, a sticker chart near their bed can provide a visual guide of how successful introducing the routine is to you both, as well as acting as an incentive.
Revise last year’s work
No matter how old you are, the childhood experience of being confronted with something you don’t understand leaves an emotional reaction that is not easily forgotten. Avoid tears, anxiety and insecurity this academic year and slowly start to transition your child back into the mindset of learning. No need to go over board, a simple workbook exercise, educational games and casual reading are all that is required, but these small steps can be an invaluable tool when building your child’s confidence and understanding.
Talk about expectations and reality
Whether they are making the leap from junior infants, to senior infants, or from primary to secondary school, each academic year brings up new challenges and environments for children. It is important for children to understand that their fears and concerns are completely normal, but are largely unfounded, and that they can air them to you any time. Building a steady communication surrounding emotions between yourself and your child is one that will serve you far beyond the school year.
For some children, feeling in control is a major part of regulating their emotions while going through new experiences. While there is little you can do to prepare your child for what it actually will be like in the classroom, you can put their mind at ease by practising the process of getting ready in the morning, showing them the route you will use to get to school, or the school itself.
Ensuring a confident, prepared start to the new academic year
Establishing routine, providing a relaxed, prepared environment and teaching your child that it is OK to discuss things that are bothering them, are invaluable tools to help build your child’s confidence and understanding before they go back to school.
But the most important tip of all time – put an alarm on your phone, write it on the fridge – put a note anywhere you can think of saying ‘check ________’s bag before the weekend / break’.
