There is no mistaking that if your kids aren’t headed back to school now, they will be soon – the stores are filled with supplies and sales and ads for back-to-school. The beginning of a new school year can be an especially challenging time for parents and children both, although for totally different reasons.
For parents, making sure that kids are equipped with the supplies and everything they need to get organized and have a good year is usually the first challenge. Then meeting the teachers, checking out the classrooms, and assessing the curriculum for the year is next on the list.
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My children are actually feeling excitement in their preparation for their school first day experience. We go shopping together for supplies and backpacks. We make lists for the year:
• A list of their goals in education
• A list of their goals in sports
• A list of their dream vacation places and why they choose them
• A list of their NEW responsibilities this upcoming year: at home and at school – we discuss it not once during the list-making, rather we make a conversation subject of many of our talks with children
• A list of their supplies clothes for both school and sports that needs to be updated – making a child part of this process instils the values that clothes and shoes don’t grow on trees, but they need to be shopped for
• A list of any personal articles that they may want or need from their perspective – an excellent exercise to make a child think through and plan for their school life and afterschool curriculum
Depending on your child’s age and grade, you, as a parent, guide her or him through these list-making exercises and spread these activities throughout the summer time to allow them to think and make their decisions. It would be unfair to your child to ask of her or him to make all these lists one day before school. Even one week would be a short amount of time and would feel like a forceful demand on your part. Make this process kind and caring and supportive. The results would be so awesome to observe!
For kids, the stress of the new school year can be a little different than what we experience as parents. Did you know that one in five children in the U.S. have learning and attention issues, like ADHD and dyslexia? Children with these types of challenges – many of whom have never been formally diagnosed – can feel especially stressed during the back-to-school season as they face new subjects, teachers and schools.
As the new school year approaches, we were excited to get personalized tips from the First-Day Ready Guide to help our kids make a great start. The Ad Council and Understood.org have partnered to promote ways children and their families can be First-Day Ready. Understood.org is offering a FREE to help parents with students at every age successfully manage back-to-school transitions. Understood.org is a free, easy-to-use online resource and a community designed to support parents and caregivers of children with learning and attention issues.
Planning Ahead for First Day At School
Turning to online help can inspire you for new ways of doing your old school routines and give some incredible help in thinking through every age and grade level. Use it to your advantage!
The back-to-school tips from the Understood.org website are an invaluable resource for getting on track and starting the year from the right foot. They help my family, and a good chance is they will help yours, too.
- Planning early is important to help relieve stress. Creating structure and routine around the start of the new school year—with checklists, calendars and other organization systems— helps prepare kids for class expectations. There are so many different tools to use and explore like: Back-to-School Countdown Planner, Backpack Checklist, and a sample of Homework Contract.)
You can also take your child on a school tour to help ease fears by showing them how to find their classroom, nearby bathrooms, the cafeteria and other important places the first week of school. This can be a huge stress relief whether the child is new to the school or not. Just knowing where to go can help them feel more comfortable.
- Connecting with your child’s teacher early on benefits everyone and creates a great starting point for the new year. This will give you an opportunity to share your child’s needs or learning style while expressing your support for the teacher and the challenges he/she may be facing with a new classroom full of students. You will help create an atmosphere of cooperation while speaking up for your child and his or her challenges.
- Finally, get support! Many parents and students are going through the same experience. Understood.org and their Facebook page connect parents across the country to share information and learn from each other. You can also ask around your community and school to find other parents you can connect with.
No matter your child’s age or needs, this Back-to-School season can be a seamless transition and positive experience for both you and your children!
If you could use some help getting started on the right foot this school year, Understood.org is a great place to start.
All kids learn in different ways and at different paces. With the right support, all kids can thrive at school and in life.
Most Needed School Supplies
School supplies can get expensive, especially for those of us with more than one child being in school. It is important to find a supplier that has great quality items and brands, but doesn’t break the bank. That’s shopping early comes in handy! Shop for the brands you already love like sharpie, crayola, Elmer’s and more at great prices and all in one place!
One thing that kids go through is any kind of writing utensils. Whether a top gets left off a marker and dries up, or a pencil gets lost (for the 4th time today), teachers need all the writing utensils they can get, which is why it would be appreciated by the educator, and your kids included, to send that extra box with pencils or pens to the class.
Another school supply that gets lots of love from our kids is any kind of glue. We use glue for art projects, class room decorations, and more. Glue is one of the least expensive school supply items. It’s really easy to grab a few extras to help out the teacher and those students that might not be able to afford them.
Notebooks can be used for problem solving, homework, journaling, and more, which makes it my personal favorite school supply! Don’t forget to grab a couple extra and donate them to the classroom!
As you can tell from the post above, donating extra school supplies to your classroom when you can becomes vital. It helps make the life of our teachers just a bit easier, which in turn, makes life for your child easier. The teachers focus on instruction time, rather than on the shopping for the classroom time.
Safety And Cutting Supplies
And when it comes to cutting and crafting tools, it is a huge YES for both students and teachers. Engaging students in creative work, allowing them to develop the necessary skills while learning to use the appropriate tools – these are some of the goals every educator goes through. Ensuring a SAFE environment is a huge factor in the classroom.
Introducing some effective and safer tools like scissors, cutting and crafting knives, box and paper cutters is unavoidable. It is so much safer with some of the brands like Slice.
The company incorporates a zirconium oxide ceramic blade into its cutting tools. Such blade is non-magnetic, never rusts and chemically inert. What is truly impressive, this blade cuts through any surface but the skin. It is much safer to use any Slice tools than traditional utility knives and blade cutters.
Here are some of my favorite Tools developed by Slice.
– Box Cutter HERE
– Utility Knife HERE
– Ceramic Scissors that never rust HERE
– Precision Cutter for crafts and work with different media HERE
Every Slice celebrates these features:
– Finger-friendly ceramic blade that never rusts
– Safer than teal blades that are lightweight and compact
– Ergonomic grip
– Longevity with Slice blades lasting 11.2 times longer than traditional blades
22 thoughts on “Back To School Time Is Here. Are You First Day Ready?”
Thank you for sharing this
We are feeling quite anxious about going back to school. We are currently investigating issues like ADHD and dyslexia, and we hope when we have more information it will help, but at the moment it’s not a very exciting time for us
I am so ready fort back to school, we have everything packed and set up! Thank you for this check list.
I love your ideas of setting goals for each schoolyear! I wish I thought of this when my child was younger. Still at 26, they should still be writing goals.
Barrie,
You can be creative and adjust their goal-writing as they grow up and mature, and acquire new skills.
Thank you for sharing
Parents are always busy during back-to-school time. I appreciate the tips on involving kids in the preparation and reducing stress before the first day. The idea of making lists and planning early is great advice.
Ramil,
Planning is a huge thing for us, too.
I love seeing all these posts about 1st day of school. I hope all the little kiddos have a great year.
Tammy,
Back to school these days are more than little kids. Grown-ups, parents are heading to school themselves to get a new degree or profession.
I can’t believe it’s already back to school time lol Summer flew by so quickly but it was fun. Slice company seems awesome. I will check it out.
Karen,
Yes, Slice products are a new must-have for anybody who’s getting back to school.
Yet, you can easily use them throughout the house. I’ve got several for different needs. Even my kitchen has a Slice pair of scissors for cutting my herbs for salads and cooking.
I have to get a Slice! Actually, two. One for my daughter and one for me. We both love scrapbooking, and I really love NOT cutting myself. LOL
Beth,
Check out their many cutting products that are specifically designed for intricate cutting like in crafts. I am amazed by their versatility.
Those days are all over for me
Rochelle,
Still, you see kids in your community getting ready for school or college. It is always exciting to feel the energy.
Beautiful post and useful to all of us. I am mesmerized by the cutting technology of the Slice company. I need goos scissors for my home use cutting boxes and packages and all. Will look them up for sure. Thank you for all the work you do for us here.
Stephanie,
Yes, Slice products are beautifully unique and much safer than cutting tools with a steel blade.
Really appreciate all the resources for us parents and grandparents. I will recommend the site for our teacher who may want to check and see if there’s anything helpful there for her classroom.
Barb,
Of course, that’s why we are here, sharing new findings and useful tips and tricks.
what a cool brand! I am really impressed by the cutting blade. Going to check them out as I need a precision cutter for my decal cutting out.
Lucy,
Slice is an excellent brand to know and use in everyday life.