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back to school mom resumption tips

10 BACK -TO –SCHOOL TIPS FOR BUSY MOMS

The long vacation will soon be over and school resumes in a few weeks.
It’s time to plan for the new school year and days ahead so we don’t get
weighed down by myriad daily chores always seeking urgent attention. Remember
that popular quote by
Benjamin FranklinIf you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”

So here are 10 tips to serve as a guide;
1. Schedule a health check-up
– if you do not want to begin the new school year with emergency calls
from your child’s school; take this tip as an urgent reminder. Take your kids
for an all-round check up with your GP, optician and dentist; also ensure that
all immunisations are up to date (especially for toddlers and pre-schoolers). Doing
this will ensure your child is physically and mentally fit for school this
session.

2.  Ease back into a
bedtime routine
– the long vacation came with laxity on a lot of rules,
most kids were allowed to stay up late and wake up late, excess TV time and many
others (am guilty here!). So get  the
kids back to the ‘school days’ bed time routine before school resumes to allow
their system adjust to the change and avoid that usual early morning ‘sleep
drama’ when school resumes. Remember insufficient sleep often results in lower
academic performance and tardiness. The optimal amount of sleep for most
children is 10 hours and adolescents are in the ranges of 8.5 to 9.5 hours per
night.

3. Stock up on ‘back to
school’ items
– before heading out to shop, take stock of items your
kids will need as the school year begins. Bear in mind that most of the
stationery your kid will need can be found in the party packs you’ve stock-piled
all year long. For the remaining items, replace or stock up on them, pay
attention to items like shoes, socks, underwear, back pack, lunch pack, etc . If
it’s convenient and the child is of age, take them along to make choices, it
can be tasking but it’s fun!

4. Stock up on lunch and
snack items
– A new school year comes with a new resolve to feed your child
right. So stock up on a variety of healthy snacks and drinks. For ‘choosy eaters’
learn to pack ‘home made’ snacks to appeal to their appetite. For mothers who
are able to pack cooked food, you can make and refrigerate different meat, fish
and vegetable sauces to help ease the stress and strain of the daily morning
rush hour. Not forgetting to plan for healthy breakfast to help your kids begin
the day with a good ounce of energy.

5. Watch, Gauge and
discuss their emotions
– As the countdown to school resumption closes
in, be on the lookout for feelings of excitement, fear or discomfort and
discuss extensively with your child. Excitement is a positive emotion while fear
and discomfort are negative. Fear could arise from bullies encountered in the
previous school year, an anticipated new teacher or an uncomfortable school bus
ride or expected school work load. Whatever the emotions may be, endeavour to
assuage and resolve them before school begins.

6. Pep talk – this is
very important as it creates an opportunity to reaffirm your confidence in your
child’s abilities and personality. Remind your child of your believe in him/her
and that you trust them to be the best (not necessarily taking 1st position) in
all they do (school work, sports, ballet, debate, etc);  also remind them to be friendly, patient and
polite in dealing with their school mates. Cap your ‘pep talk’ with a
suggestion to put in an extra effort in the activities of their choice if they
are to achieve their goal of being the best.

7. Before and after school care – “Every mom needs help” is my best mantra. So if
you are a busy mom or stay at home mum, make adequate arrangements for a
responsible adult to assist in preparing your child for school and receiving
and supervising their activities after school till you are available to take
over. Don’t get exhausted doing it all by yourself. If you chose to share these
pre and after school chores with your spouse, discuss and reach an agreement.
You can also employ the services of a good after school crèche.

8. Anticipate the
challenges of a
new school and neighbourhood
– If you changed school or residence over the long vacation discuss the changes
and challenges of a new school and environment with your kid and give assurances.
Arrange a prior visit to the school with your child and watch their reaction,
make follow up checks to gauge their performance and adaptability.


9. Set new school year priorities
Set and
discuss the ground rules for after-school activities, chores, homework and television
use. By discussing priorities early, you can set a schedule and avoid arguments
and confrontations later on.

10. Pray for your child
– Finally, having made all the physical preparations take out time to pray for
your child. As parents, it’s important to seek for God’s mercy, favour, love,
protection and grace upon our children and every other challenge a new school
year might bring. This is in fact should be an everyday (minute) chore!

In conclusion, do remember to unpack and air the school uniforms
that were boxed off at the end of the last school session, wash up back packs
and lunch boxes that are still useful, give the boys a good haircut and the
girls beautifully adorned hair styles. When school finally resumes, do make
time to familiarise yourself with your child’s teacher(s) and any other person
that will tutor your child directly. Being familiar with their names and faces will
be beneficial during your daily or weekly ‘progress check’ with your child.

Do have a fruitful and happy school year!





Image credits  – Google

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Trendy Mother
    September 7, 2015 at 8:49 am

    @kuzio, less of a mum ke! don't listen to such! Ask and accept help o! A trired, unhappy and unhealthy mom can't add value to her kids or family.

    Thank you for dropping by.

  • Reply
    Kuzio
    September 7, 2015 at 7:24 am

    I like the fact that you pointed out that moms need help. Some think it makes them less of a mom if they delegate. I believe in delegating and supervising, because a stressed mom is an angry one.

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