10 Tips for First Day of School Readiness [From the Mouths of Moms]

Can’t find time to read all of those parenting books and magazines?  Don’t have a lot of mommy friends to bounce ideas off of?  Kids go crazy every time you get on the phone to ask a friend their advice?  No problem; I’ll do the work for you!

Every Thursday I bring you kid-tested parenting tips for a specific parenting challenge “from the mouths of moms.”  Last time we shared our ideas for encouraging summer learning.  Now here are direct quotes from a diverse group of moms (with kids of all ages and tons of ideas) on getting kids ready for the first day of school.  Meet your new mommy friends…

 


 

Alright, Mamas, how do you prepare your kids for the first day of school?

1. Make It a “Big Kid” Event
“Something that really helped my daughter was making it a ‘big kid’ event so she feels special about being able to go to school, where babies aren't allowed.” Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom

2. Read Books About School
“We are reading books and have been doing some of the new to him activities at home that are in the book.” Cerys from Rainy Day Mum

3. Schedule in Downtime
“During the first week or two back to school, keep evenings free to stay at home and just relax and do the bedtime routine unrushed . The kids may be overwhelmed with the adjustment to school and will need more downtime to get used to the change in schedule.” Rebekah from The Golden Gleam

4. Let Them Pick Their Backpack
“[We] have fun picking out a backpack and lunchbox.” Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom

5. Plan Lunch Menus
“I also find that getting them involved in back to school shopping - choosing a backpack and planning out lunch/snack menus - helps!” MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

6. Make a School Day Book
“We created a ‘Going to School Book’ together that contains elements of each school day.” Kim from The Educators’ Spin On It

7. Visit the School Ahead of Time
“We have visited the preschool that Jake will join three times now - once with children from last year's class but also out of session - during the summer holidays the preschool puts on fun sessions for children to go to so we have been going along and I have been talking about how he will do the same things when he goes.” Cerys from Rainy Day Mum

8. Use Magic Dust
“[We use] First Day of School Magic Dust. It helps open the conversation about how sometimes we feel anxious and it's ok.” Kim from The Educators’ Spin On It

9. Watch Cartoons
“[We] watch Sesame Street episodes (since Abby goes to Flying Fairy School and Murray goes to a new school every episode).” Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom

10. Talk About It Lots
“We talk about what to expect at school, how the school day runs, and who their teachers are.” MaryAnne from Mama Smiles

How do you prepare your kids for their first day of school? 



Do you have any clever parenting tips or fun kids’ activities?  I’d love to share them with my readers by having you guest post.  Just contact me for more information!
 
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