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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

Going back to school after a 3-month vacation is certainly not easy. Considering that kids are used to playing all day long, it can be tricky for parents to make a whole different schedule for them. Make a plan with at least 2 weeks in advance to help your child get used to his new routine.

Its bedtime kids!
If your kids are not used to a bedtime routine, now it’s the perfect time to make one. Don’t allow them to stay up until 10 pm anymore, and put them to bed at 8:30 pm. However, note that they may have difficulties in falling asleep, so you should give them a glass of warm milk after dinner. Better yet, you can read them something. They might require up to one week of accommodation, so don’t expect them to fall asleep immediately.

Less technology
Kids love their iPods and iPads, so they might hate you for taking their precious gadgets away. Try not to be absurd and let them know that if they behave well, you’ll give them back. During the summer season, kids are used to having a lot of fun, so it goes without saying that learning and studying come in second place. Watching too much TV and spending too many hours in front of their computers can interfere with their ability to focus on school activities. With at least 2 weeks before the start of the new school year, diminish their access to technology, and help them focus more on other activities that are less distracting.

boy reading fiction book while leaning against wall

Create a study environment
Kids are messy, and as much as we like to think that’s just a phase, it’s not. Your child’s study desk is probably a universal spot to store toys and clothes, especially during the summer when they don’t have school. Make some changes and try to create the perfect study environment. Clean his desk and make it look appropriate for school. You can even take out his books and make him start revising ahead of time. He may not be willing to do that, but he’ll come around if you offer him a treat.

Talk about school
Try to make your child understand that the fun is over and that very soon school will start again. Discuss her classes, books, and responsibilities, and let her know how important it is to be a good student. Don’t be too demanding and talk about this matter every day over dinner. It’s important to allow kids enough time to readjust with a school schedule, and pressuring them into studying is not a really efficient method. Rather than blab every day about school, it’s better to find a way to motivate them. For example, let your kids know they can earn a reward that you can both agree upon if they begin to revise notes prior to the start of the school year.

students at table listening to teacher

It’s revision time
Revision notes are advisable because they will help kids remember what they have to study. Parents should encourage them to begin a learning session, but they shouldn’t be too absurd. Allow your child enough time to readjust, and have some fun. For example, you can make up flashcards and write down some elementary notes from school. Grab the whole family around and organize a fun study session. Do this every 3 days and when it’s time to go for school, your child will find it a lot easier to remember the material.

Go shopping for school stuff
This is probably the most fun part of helping your child prepare for a new school year. Go shopping for colorful notebooks, pencils, agendas, backpacks, pencil cases, erasers, markers, and so on. Your kids will definitely have plenty of fun, not to mention that they’ll become more aware that school is really coming.

A summer vacation is every child’s opportunity to go on a trip, play all day long, use technology to have fun, and interact with their peers. Going back to school after a 3-month break is certainly not easy. Therefore, it’s up to the parent to help their kids get back on track. Start an accommodation process with at least 2 weeks in advance, and when school will start your kids won’t have that many difficulties adjusting to a tough schedule.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who want to ease the transition back to school.

Images courtesy of healthy lunch ideas, pennstatenews, and Old Shoe Woman via Creative Commons license, some rights reserved.