school-bus
Tips to help busy parents transition their children back to school with less tantrums!With the end of the holidays coming upon us as parents, we are all looking forward to our children returning to school and the return of a routine. Don’t get me wrong I love the holidays and having an extended break with my children, but I am happy to return to that dreaded routine by Australia day.With a little planning, you can make going back to school simple and stress free.

Here are some helpful hints of activities to start prior to your children returning back to school to help them and yourself as a parent transition;

Use a calendar ā€“

Count down the days leading up to returning to school. This will help reduce anxiety and allow you to address any fears or worries your child may have about returning to school.

Start a routine ā€“

Ease into the school-year schedule. Getting back into the school routine can be a challenge for everyone in the family. To make the adjustment easier, start early. You can achieve this by creating a visual schedule for the week and a morning visual schedule. By providing these schedules it gives your child a clear expectation.

Where possibleā€¦provide positive reinforcement time and praise after your child has completed their morning routine by providing them with a meaningful reward. You must make sure the reward is something your child wants/looking forward too otherwise it will not work well as a motivator. For example; providing them play time on the ipad only after they have got ready for the morning. If your child is allowed to play with the iPad or turn on the tv before they have gone to the toilet, got dressed and eaten breakfast you will be providing them with constant reinforcement that they do not need to complete their routine before they are allowed to play and will continue to control their own routine. Thsi can later cause issues when you only have an hour to get your children ready and drop them off to school prior to work each day. Other tips are:

  • A few days before school starts, move bedtime back to an earlier time.
  • Establish a “get ready the night before” policy. Pick clothes for the next day and pack the backpack every evening before bedtime, and you’ll save precious time in the morning.
  • Put a positive spin on going back to school. Talk about the fun things your child will learn, the old friends he’ll see and the new friends he’ll make.
  • If your child is anxious about starting the next grade, reassure them that other children have these feelings too.
  • Don’t make plans for big trips right before the start of school.
  • Establish school-day schedules for homework, TV, baths and bedtime.
  • Arrange play dates with friends from school to re-establish connections that may have been dropped for the summer, or to create new ones.

Get organised ā€“

Take advantage of the slower pace during the holidays to set up for the busy year ahead.

  • Many schools send out school information and a packet of forms to fill out before school starts. If you can discipline yourself to fill out the paperwork several days before it’s due, you’ll avoid last-minute panic.
  • Update school emergency contact and health information for the coming year.
  • As you read through all the school information, mark important dates (such as back-to-school night, parent-teacher conferences and school holidays) on the family calendar.
  • Start a folder for school newsletters and other papers so that you can easily find and refer to them if necessary.

calendar
Nutrition –

Holidays are usually filled with extra treats and rewards. It can hard for adults and children to change back to healthier meals before returning to school. Get creative ahead of time by trying new healthy snacks during the holidays and on weekends and allow your child to help prepare their food to increase their interest. If you plan and gather what you need on the weekends, you’ll make life a lot less stressful and meals more nutritious during the week.

  • Start by eating at least one piece of fruit per day ā€“ as they would at fruit break at school
  • Make sure your child eats breakfast! If they are not a fan of eating in the mornings try a fruit smoothie with plain or natural yoghurt so that they are receiving ample calcium and natural sugars to start their day.
  • Lunch time gets a little boring after a while here are a few ideas to brighten your child’s lunchbox:
  • For the younger child, use cookie cutters to make sandwiches into interesting shapes.
  • Sneak vegetables like lettuce, cucumber or zucchini slices into sandwiches.
  • Buy rice crackers or pretzels. Avoid items with trans fats in them such as packaged cookies, snack cakes and regular chips.
  • Make fruit fun to eat by cutting it into slices and putting it on a skewer or include small containers of applesauce or pineapple packed in its own juice.
  • For the younger child, write a surprise message or draw a funny picture and put it in her lunch.
  • Get older children to help pack their lunches. You may need to arrange the morning routine (or evening routine if you do this the night before) so that you don’t do this chore by yourself.

breakfast

Transport ā€“

Everyone will feel better if transportation to and from school is addressed well before the start of the school year, particularly if your child is walking, riding his bike or taking the bus.

Walking or biking

  • Chart out a route to school or to the school bus stop.
  • If your child is going to a new school, take a dry run a few days before school starts.
  • Go over the rules of stranger awareness and traffic safety. Warn your child to always walk with a friend, and to avoid vacant lots and places where there are not a lot of people.
  • Be sure your child has your daytime phone number (including area code) and address, as well as the number of another familiar adult.
  • Scout out safe houses in the neighbourhood where your child can go in case of an emergency.

Taking the bus

  • Remember to get the new bus schedule!
  • If your child will be taking the bus for the first time, discuss the bus route and bus safety rules with them
  • See if any other friends may be taking the same school bus and encourage the use of a buddy system to catch the bus each day

school-bus

Driving

  • If you will be driving your child, have a backup arrangement with another parent in case you are delayed for some reason.
  • Confirm carpool arrangements in advance and make sure your child knows who will be picking him up before and after school.
  • Become familiar with your school’s traffic safety rules, drop-off and pick-up procedures.

Confirm after school care arrangements –

Most after-school care arrangements must be made months ahead. As the school year approaches, however, it’s a good idea to confirm your plans.

  • Make sure your child knows where they are going after school. You can make a storybook up for them to read each day to reinforce what their school day will typically include.
  • Double-check on your care plans and communicate with the provider a few days before school starts.
  • For older children that will be home alone after school, establish safety rules for locking doors and windows, and for answering the door and the telephone. Make sure they know to check in with you or another adult when they arrive at home.

And most of all ENJOY… take the time if you can to grab a cuppa after the kids have gone to school and relax!!

relax-coffee

Related Articles

As a multidisciplinary team our specialists provide Therapy Services such as psychology, speech and occupational therapy for all stages of a person’s life.

Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

MEDICATIONS AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

A number of medications are used for the management of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in conjunction with therapeutic intervention. Medications have been proven to have effects on irritability, hyperactivity, and repetitive behaviours…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

AVOIDING MISDIAGNOSIS IN OUR CHILDREN

The overlap of symptoms between different disorders can be confusing for parents, and at times therapists!!!. When understanding the complexity of this it is important to realise that different therapists receive training…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

AVOIDING CHRISTMAS MELTDOWNS

Christmas…. a time for giving, celebration and of course Santa. Its also a time for spending time with friends and family!! Whilst visiting friends and relatives and attending parties and social gathering…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

WHAT IS PRAXIS?

What is Praxis and Dyspraxia? Put simply, you may have been told you that your child has difficulties with motor planning (planning movements) which involves planning what to do and how to…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism Spectrum Disorder is classified as a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder. What this means is it is lifelong and relates to the development of the brain. Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterised by difficulties…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Early Signs and Symptoms of Autism

Parents frequently ask “What are the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder?” and unfortunately we can’t always give a straight answer. Autism isn’t like most diagnoses where your child will display symptoms x,…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

How To Implement Routines Effectively

What are routines and why are they important? Routines are an integral component to preparing for and attending school. Routines enable children to anticipate what happens next and gives them a great…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

How can Speech therapy help my child?

How can a Speech PathologistĀ  help your child with communication difficulties? Communication, what does it meanā€¦when we talk about communication difficulties, we arenā€™t just referring to verbal language, or helping a child…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong

Autism Eligibility for NDIS

  There has been a lot of confusion around the Autism diagnosis and eligibility for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The recent ā€œaccidentalā€ change to the operational guidelines by the NDIA…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Learning to Identify our Moods

By Deni Fowle – Senior Psychologist This has been a recent topic of conversation both in the clinic and in my home. I am currently working with a few 11-12 year old…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

What are school readiness skills?

  ā€˜School readinessā€™ measures a childā€™s development in knowledge, skills and behaviours that collaboratively enable children to participate effectively and succeed in the school environment. Often parents believe that school readiness refers…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Children and Gaming

With the World Health Organisation adding Gaming Disorder into the International Classification of Diseases Edition 11 the gaming world has gone into chaos, and frustration. Rest assured this does not mean that…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

REGULATING ATTENTION

  Sometimes we can have difficulty keeping our attention focused. But did you know that our attention is actually resource limited? Thatā€™s why it can be hard to do two things at…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Fussy Eating: When is it a Problem?

  Many parents will have difficulty trying to get their children to eat a range of different foods. Children willĀ oftenĀ have favourite foods and food preferencesĀ which canĀ result in parents makingĀ a meal that is…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Reading Difficulties

Reading difficulties can occur for a wide range of reasons and can affect people of all ages. Reading is important for: learning new words developing language understanding learning about the world developing…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Getting Prepared for the School Year

  Returning to school and workĀ inĀ the new year and the transition that this requires can beĀ aĀ difficultĀ task,Ā especially when managingĀ the transition ofĀ multiple family members.Ā Ā  The challenges of returning to school and work can include…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Managing Transitions

We have all found it challenging in one way or another when something unexpected happens or didnā€™t go our way. These situations can lead to feelings of frustration, fear and even anxiety.…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

The Art of Waiting – Children

We live in a world that is all about convenience such that advances in technology have allowed immediate access to diverse foods, knowledge, social interactions, money, television shows and music without ever…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Morning Routines

A strong morning routine sets you up for a productive day resulting in more wins and a sense of accomplishment. A structured morning helps to reduce stress and more wins help to…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Speech versus Language Disorder

  There are so many terms used for different communication disorders;Ā it can be very confusing! Letā€™s breakĀ some of itĀ down for youā€¦Ā Ā  SpeechĀ Ć Ā the way we use sounds to make words.Ā  LanguageĀ Ć Ā the choice of…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Regulating Attentionā€Æ

Throughout our day-to-day lives, people are faced with a barrage of informationĀ and distractions. ThisĀ barrageĀ can take the shape of sensory information from external stimuli, such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, changes in temperature,…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Our COVID Response

Real Therapy SolutionsĀ  COVIDĀ Response StrategiesĀ  LikeĀ everyone else,Ā Real Therapy SolutionsĀ is adjusting to the new world requirements with COVID 19. Our commitment is to ensure that all our clients receive high-quality support and therapy…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Sleep and Mental Health

People often talk about sleep and how important it is for our body to function, especially brain function. If we have poor sleep for long periods of time, it’s harder to think,…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Preparing for a Happy Easter

School holiday times are lots of fun ā€“ especially when they involve chocolate,Ā Easter egg hunts, and hot cross buns! But holiday times can be stressful too.Ā Being out of normal routine canĀ be difficult,…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Transitioning to Solids

Transitioning to solid foods is a bigĀ and excitingĀ milestone for babies and parents and most times it goes very smoothly. However, at times this may be difficultĀ due to many underlying reasons andĀ especially if…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Managing Anxiety

What is anxiety?Ā Ā  Anxiety is what we feel when we are worried,Ā tenseĀ or afraid ā€“ particularly about things that are about to happen, or which we think could happen in the future. Anxiety…
Read More
Therapy Services Sydney & Wollongong
5 min read

Regulating Attentionā€Æ

Throughout our day-to-day lives, people are faced with a barrage of informationĀ and distractions. ThisĀ barrageĀ can take the shape of sensory information from external stimuli, such as sights, sounds, smells, tastes, changes in temperature,…
Read More
Translate LanguageĀ»