I can’t believe that I’m already talking about “back to school”. It feels like we just said goodbye to the last school year, but reality has it and we have just about 4 weeks before the yellow school bus pulls up in our subdivision and takes them all away again.
This year is really hard for me, my Princess will start Kindergarten, yup… she’s a big girl and ready to read and write; my Teen#2 will be moving to a new school, he’s going to be in 8th grade at his brother’s school and super excited, he’s the one I’m the least concerned about this year, doesn’t seem like much of a change with him, but then my oldest Teen will be a senior this year. That’s giving me the hardest time, a Senior… really… I have one starting school and one finishing school… what was I thinking? But I know, we all will be fine this year, with a little organization we can get it all done.
I decided to compile a short list to keep our family in check and maybe help you to keep yours as well. With so many different things going on in different directions, staying organized is a big key.
1. Routine – is I think the biggest thing; get the kids prepared a few days in advance and start a bedtime routine. They need to get lots of rest. My princess has her bedtime set at 8pm, which will be a perfect time for a Kindergartner; she will get her rest and still have time for breakfast in the morning before we head out the door at 7:30. Now my Teens think they are old enough to know when they need to go to bed, but in reality, they still need a routine as well. Send them to bed around 10pm and make sure they get at least 8 hours of sleep. That will be the biggest step in getting your day off to a good start. Routine, Routine, Routine… and stick to it!!
2. Keep all the school supplies organized – Running around in the morning looking for a notebook or homework isn’t exactly a smooth ride, so pack your bags the night before and make sure that all the kids belongings from shoes to T-shirts and every notebook is labeled with their name. I found some super cool labels at Bright Star Kids and they stick to everything; they have your kids name printed directly on the sticker and a kit starts at $12.95, making it a great idea for that Kindergartner or Elementary kid that may lose a shirt or a belt. Name tags have saved us many times and will be on the list to do this year, that’s for sure. Bright Star Kids has many labels to choose from; we love both the Stick-on as well as Iron on Labels.
3. Prepare – get all the lunches ready the night before, I even like to make our lunches on Sunday’s for the entire week and either freeze them or put them in the fridge; so all we have to do in the morning is grab the lunch and off we go. Be prepared; check every week to make sure you have enough snacks, breakfasts, drinks and anything else the kids may need to get off to a good start. Hungry kids won’t learn as well, so keep them happy and healthy and send them off with a full tummy and lunch box.
4. Get the look – Most schools have uniform dress code, my Teen’s go to a semi-private Academy and they have a very strict dress code, but that doesn’t mean that they have to wear pants that are run down and hand me downs from 3 kids back; each kid gets at least one new pair of uniforms each year, they need to look and feel comfortable in their new environment so get them dressed to code; new shoes if possible, too. I don’t mean run out and spend hundreds on clothing, but at least one new outfit will make your child feel special. I remember when I grew up, we didn’t have much money but I always got one new outfit for the first day of school and always made me feel good.
5. Don’t worry – I know that’s easier said than done, but they will be fine. If you worry the little ones will worry, too and make their first days that much harder. Relax, enjoy your little ones as long as you can and don’t worry “what might happen” or “what if”…. take things one at a time and enjoy the rest.
Put a label on it! Kick off the school year right and prevent unnecessary mishaps. Reply below for $5 off your Bright Star Kids order.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bright Star Kids. The opinions and text are all mine.