Today’s July 28th, and we have only about four weeks left until the little ones head back to school, and summer is over.
So, since it’ll come up quick, how about we all share some tips with eachother on how to get your kids back into the “school mode” after a long summer?
Tips can include, but aren’t limited to….
- Where’s the best deal on school clothes?
- What time do the kids go to bed/wake up?
- Any certain daily activities they practice to get ready?
I’m sure a lot of you have some good tips and tricks, so please share them!
{ 18 comments }
thank you for posting this!!! I am having the worst time getting my kids schedules down. I even asked their doctor and he recommended adjusting anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour each night….they seem so much more harder this year…they are elementary so I’m not experienced with this.
A friend of mine posted that she got some good deals at Childrens Place for pants and so forth.
I’ll bring them down to the DMV so they know how crowded their classrooms will feel this year.
Really though, you can get great work books at any local book store. The local libraries also run book reading contests for kids over the summer. You get one box checked for every 15 minutes of reading then get prizes when you turn in your results.
To get back into the swing of things, have your child spend time reading. To help your child’s reading comprehension, discuss what is going on in the story. What is happening? Why do you think the character did what they did? What will happen next? In addition to reading, review some of the last year’s math concepts. Don’t forget to practice basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math facts. Too often children return to school forgetting how to add or multiply.
I say to read to them and have them read to you, at least 30 minutes a day.
Then mark down book read and pages with date, a lot of schools have reading logs to get 1,000 pages or more for prizes.
a lot of children are behind in reading. from a children author here in Concord.
anyway, enjoy the rest of summer it’s going fast.
When Children’s Place has specials, they’re pretty great. I also love Crazy 8, Gymboree’s more reasonably priced younger sister.
Big Lots has a ton of school supplies for cheap, also Target is always good (the PH Target has lower prices then WC). Kohls is great for back to school shopping.
My step daughter does a reading program every summer right before school starts. We also switch her from fun computer games to learning games about half way thru summer.
I’ve had successful students and students who have already given up on learning by eighth grade. There are some fundamental items that can help. Make sure they get good sleep. Growing people who get less sleep begin to fall apart. Children whose parents read to, and with, them are more successful in school. Parents should prepare themselves to look at homework at least every other night. You don’t have to correct it. Just be sure they are doing it. The more important it is, and the more you make it part of your relationship, the more conscientious they will become. Tell them to bring it home even if they are done. That way they won’t tell you they did it when they didn’t. Children don’t think it’s important if you don’t. If there is turmoil in your family, take care of it. Parents who have problems with substances or marriage make their children think that adults, in general, are unreliable and unstable. Adults have nothing to teach that is worth learning. Love your children. Let them know in ways that don’t involve material possessions. Tell them you are proud of them when they do well. Tell them you love them. If you can afford supplies like pencils and papers, make sure your child has them and is prepared to bring them to class all year long. If you can’t afford supplies, let your school principal know. Those are a few things that occur to me now.
I did not know that there are summer reading programs…I feel like I need to get more involved in this stuff!
The summer reading program is not part of MDUSD. Its about $300, and I think it is 5 weeks long, 1 meeting a week. My step daughter is supposed to be in summer school, but they didn’t offer it this summer.
On another note, where do I find a Jansport Backpack for less then $30?
Leigha, I googled Jansport backpack for less than $30 and got a bunch of websites…saves running around…to order on line….but I’ll keep an eye out. We just got backpack and free lunchbox for 6yr. granddaughter, at Target…speaking of her, tonight was her first swim meet and she came in 2nd….go girl!!!…gogomez is so proud…
My husband and kids and I went to the new Walnut Creek library this evening. WOW! I love the place! My children loved it too! I also found on the CoCo website that they have reading programs in which you get prizes when you turn it in. The program is almost over but hey, why not start now.
Old Navy has some pretty good deals right now. I saw they had uniform polos for $5. Also, Gymboree has a 20% additional off on any purchase coupon right now… If you buy sale stuff and use the coupon, it’s really reasonable prices for really cute clothes!
I would adjust their bedtime/wake up time a half hour every night until you have them on the right schedule…
Talk about school starting. Make it happy and positive. Get them excited.
Leigha….I hope you read this….I just was on Craig’s list….there is a Jansport backpack for $15 posted today in Concord…..it’s cute.
Babs, I went on Craigslist and couldn’t find it
I did find some online retailers with decent prices, but I know somewhere in the greater Concord area is a store selling them for cheap.
Leigha, Target has some Jansports on sale — not sure if $30 or less though.
NiteMom, Consistency in sleep is key. Elementary should be getting 8-9 hours of sleep a night for clear thinking on a school day. My kids are in middle and high school now and their bed time is 9pm school nights & 10pm weekends. They no longer complain and in fact when the time comes, they are up without me saying anything to give me a kiss goodnight. I started just this year the kids ability to stay up to 10pm everynight during vacation…we go back to 9pm sleep time a week before school. Waking them up earlier each day by 15 min. until they are used to being up at 6 or 6:30 again. But again, consistency is key here. Also, the library is a great place to have kids get interested in reading now and it’s free.
NiteMom — One more thing. You mentioned getting involved. Might I suggest the school’s Parent Teacher Association? From all the schools my kids have been at (5 in all from elementary to high school)–the PTA has a way of getting information to parents that the school just can’t due to resources (and it will be worse this year). Good luck!
School clothes: unless your child needs a uniform, only buy what the really need now. If he has enough jeans but needs sox, just buy those. Why do we feel we must buy all new clothes for the school year all at once? Spread out your purchases throughout the year, your wallet will thank you.
School Supplies: Staples and WalMart have good buys. Only buy what you need. If you cannot afford supplies, many local churches have Back to School GiveAways to help needy families with this.
Make sure your kids get enough sleep (9-10 hours/night for littler ones) and have a good breakfast in the morning! As the parent, set a good example by setting reasonable limits on yourself as well. You’ll feel better with a good night’s sleep too!
Thank you all for your comments! I really appreciate the input. Hopefully they help someone else as well
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