Barbara Klein, Ed.D.

Getting your child ready to go back to classroom responsibilities they did not have during the summer is a critical transition. Preparing your children for work with teachers, homework and friends has a big payoff. Your son or daughter will not miss a week or two of classroom time if they are ready the first morning school starts. Here are some strategies that will help your family.

* Start putting your kids to bed earlier and waking them up earlier. Stick to the new schedule no matter what.
* Get all your children’s school supplies, lunch box, and clothes ready and organized to avoid last minute hassles.
* Take time to start talking with your child about what they are thinking about going back to teachers and school friends. Perhaps your child may not want to discuss his/her feelings about school with you, but I would keep talking about this important transition between relative freedom and school structure and accountability anyway.
 
Here are some topics/questions that are important for parents to understand/delve into:
1.  Have you missed school?
2.  What friends are you looking forward to seeing?
3.  What was your favorite summer activity?
4.  What was the hardest part of summer break?
5.  What will you tell your friends about your summer holiday?
6.  We need to get you to bed earlier!
7.  What new clothes do you think you would like for school when we purchase your school supplies?
8.  Let’s make a play date with an old friend from school.