A New School Year is Right Around the Corner: 
Are You Ready? Tips From a Fellow Mom

by Marcia Davis Taylor
 

It feels as if summer only just began and now we are now being bombarded with back-to-school advertising!  Although many of us have a few more weeks of respite before that first day of school, many of the children of our friends and relatives in the South begin school in the first two weeks of August.  Are you ready?

 

Each new school year brings about a variety of feelings and

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emotions in parents and children alike – from anticipation, to anxiety, to feeling overwhelmed.  These varied emotions occur within all families – no matter what the economic status, no matter how many parents are in the home, and no matter how many parents work outside of the home.  It does not matter if the children are home-schooled, or in public or private schools.  Whatever the case may be, the following tips can help you to be organized and should help to reduce the stress that can occur during the back-to-school season.  Use the tips below that are appropriate for your personal situation.

 

Back-to-School Tips

•       If you have not already done so, schedule appointments for the doctor, dentist and eye care professional.  Make sure that your children participating in fall sports get their annual sports physical.
   

•       Clean out closets and drawers to find out which clothes still fit, which clothes need to be mended, and what needs to be purchased.  Clear clutter from your home and help someone in need by donating gently used clothing items to a community clothes closet.
   

•       Inventory any school supplies leftover from the previous school year and review the supply list for the upcoming school year.
   

•       Don’t wait until the last minute for back-to-school shopping.  The longer you put it off, the greater the stress level.
   

•        Grocery shop and stock up on your student’s favorite brown-bag lunch items and after school snacks.  Select healthy snack choices that are low in fat, calories and sugar.
   

•       Plan for and arrange after school care and/or after school transportation.
   

•       If you are home-schooling your children, make sure that any paperwork that must be filed with your local education agency has been completed and submitted.  Contact your home-schooling network and review calendars and activities for the school year.  Create your lesson plans and classroom activities in advance.
   

•       Create a home organization system that includes a family calendar, a place to keep important school paperwork, and a designated spot for backpacks.
   

•       Hang a bulletin board where you can post important information, such as telephone numbers (including school contact information) and school calendars.  Dry erase boards and calendars can help keep your family information organized in one place.
   

•       Designate an area of your home for studying and homework.  Even if you do not have enough room for individual study desks or areas, the dining room table is always an option.  Simply provide a space where school supplies, dictionaries and other needed materials are easily accessible to children while they are doing homework.
   

•       Don’t wait until the last minute to ease your students back into a regular bedtime and wake-up routine.  Studies show that it takes approximately 21 days to establish a habit.  Even if you don’t have three weeks, start today and you will have happier children and less stressful mornings.
   

•       And finally, have a special family activity to celebrate the culmination of a wonderful summer and the anticipation of beginning of a new school year!

Marcia Davis Taylor is a certified self-care consultant with Warm Spirit and owner of Life-Work Balance Resources, LLC.  She publishes a monthly email newsletter, Tools for Abundant Living, presents self-care workshops for women, and is a life coach in-training.  Marcia spent approximately 15 years in the nonprofit health and human services arena, with a specialization in maternal and child health.  She is also the director of the National Work-at-Home Network of  Mocha Moms, Inc.