School and Kinder Preparation Plan
School and Kinder preparation plan
How to ace that school and kinder preparation and get your kids (and yourself) off to a good start!
So kids are heading to kinder or school soon-your child might even be starting school for the first time.
Setting up a great organization routine early in the year can save you the hassle of trying to get organized when the busyness has already set in-but it also helps your child.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which may bring me a small commission at no cost to you. (In fact you’ll probably get a great deal!)**
Some big organising needs to be completed by the parents inthese stages, right?
You might think it’s easy, but it can be pretty tricky to set up a routine that works consistently.
Especially after the first week or two.
Kids can be
-grumpy and tired
-the ‘shine’ of going back to school has worn off
-they sometimes pick up a cold straight away, too!
Your kids will need you to be super organized so you know what needs to happen.
But most important of all they need you to be available to spend needed time with them, as they adjust to their new routine.
If this feels a bit overwhelming, don’t panic!
In this post I share my 4 Step Back to School Preparation Plan, so you can be on top of the rush and NOT be chasing your tail and feeling guilty for going all crazy mama at the last minute!
(Yes, real mums do that from time to time. Want help with resetting your mindset and feeling in control-and becoming more calm?)
The SMSK School and Kinder Preparation Plan
Step 1:
Have all clothing,lunchboxes and new drink bottleslabelled-and make sure you know what they need.
(Watch my quick tutorial on the fantastic Bright Star Kids labels here)
Library bags, anyone?
Do youneed to provide a hat? In Australia the mantra of every school is ‘Nohat, no play’-and you don’t want your child to start school that way!
Double-check everything on the list you have and name ALL of it, with labels or a big black texta!
Step 2:
Make a special spacefor your child to keep their school bag and everyday belongings.
Going to and from school every day in those early years(kinder too) involves a lot of ‘things’ to carry.
Therefore, having a designated ‘space’ for your child’s bag and reader satchel, hat or library bag, means both of you can find it easily in the mornings when you want to pack that bag and run out the door!
Even school shoes can be kept in the same space as the bag,if it makes it easier.
This back to school preparation sure takes some thinking, right?
Keeping it simple but clear goes a long way to staying on top of things.
Step 3:
Make sure you have aspace for forms, notes and other paperwork coming home with your child.
All the paperwork.
I have always had a space for these, as I was so worried I would miss something from my daughter’s school in the constant drawings and art pieces from my kids both at home, kinder and school.
What’s my solution?
A clipboard, hanging near the calendar in the kitchen.
You can hang a pen from it too, to promote easy signing offorms.
I simply look at the board at night and I know exactly where the forms will be.
(Hands up if this is GENIUS!)
I then sign them and either put them in the school/kinder bag or my own bag, or even just clip them back on the board to grab in the morning!
So, so simple!
The other part of this step is to set up something to put all the school information for the Term in.
You want to be able to find the notes about what ishappening in Week 5 (that you received in Week 2), right? You need a designatedspace to put these notes-then at the end of each term, throw them out and getready for a new term of paper to arrive!
My final step is all about preparing less for school and more for how your CHILD will react through the first few weeks of school.
Going back to school is a huge change after the holidays, and although often welcomed by parents and children, emotions often run high due to different stimulation levels and tiredness as kids get into the swing of things.
This is especially true for Preps (or first-year students!).
So Step 4 of the School and Kinder Preparation Plan is....
...to be prepared for after-school meltdowns.
After-school meltdowns, arguments and tears often happen in the early years of school, at different times throughout the year.
To be prepared, set up some of your child’s favourite imaginativeand quiet-time activities for after-school.
(Don’t forget to prepare a LOT of food, too. Seriously.)
Kids can eat food while they play Lego, trains, drawing, do puzzles-the list is endless.
Check out the gorgeous Purple Turtle toys here for some good ideas....
Some kids might prefer to ride their bike outside, or dosomething active.
The bottom line is, parents and kids fare much better in this volatile space when parents are prepared with an activity idea to direct a child towards if they seem highly strung or simply too tired to cope.
Try to come up with an activity that ISN’T screen time (atleast not every day).
Set your own mindset and expectations before school pickup, and observe your child so you know their triggers and what they might look like when they’re overwhelmed, so you can redirect them.
This is a very good strategy to minimise meltdowns and help your child.
Surprise-there’s a bonus step which can be incrediblyhelpful for Mamas!
Bonus step:
Look at the school or kinder overview or calendar, and add any special dates into your planner or diary.
This is SUPER helpful, as then you see this date when you turn to the week, (or if you’re like me, a few days before, when you check the upcoming week).
This saves those ‘Oops, I forgot’ moments.
Or even worse, missing a special dress-up day or event just because you missed the school newsletter or one of those forms your child forgot to tell you about in Step 3.
It can be hard to make sure we take everything in the morning- and the more children you have means more things to remember!
There we have it, my 4-Step Kinder and School Preparation Plan- I hope it helps YOU get organized with your children like it does me!
Pop a comment below about a routine that works for you, or send me an email- I'd love to chat!