It’s that time again for your child to return to the classroom after a summer away, but their return to school needn’t be stressful.
A little pre-planning can make it easier to get back into a routine, while also avoiding a last-minute dash to the shops.
If your child is preparing to return to school this September, here’s your essential checklist to keep handy.
From new uniform or school shoes to the essentials such as school bags, pencil cases and calculators, draw up a list of what you need early on.
This way you’ll be able to ensure that you get all that is required, from a complete sports kit for P.E to a wide range of stationery.
In terms of the latter, your child will likely need a pencil case containing handwriting pens and pencils, as well as colouring pencils, highlighters, a calculator, a ruler and an eraser.
In addition, they’ll need a maths set containing a protractor, compass and setsquares.
Planning your child’s lunch in advance not only ensures that they eat healthily, but it also enables parents to get into good habits when doing the weekly shop.
While your youngsters will undoubtedly want a different range of snacks and treats, it’s possible to balance it out with fruit and other healthier options, such as nuts and yoghurt.
This way you can help your child to maintain a balanced diet and give them the energy they need in order to concentrate in their classes.
It’s recommended that you prepare everything the night before to avoid a mad rush in the mornings when there’s plenty of other things to think about too.
If your child will be walking or cycling to school for the new term, you’ll want to make sure they know where they’re going and how long it will take.
It’s a similar situation if they’ll need to catch a bus, as they’ll need to know when and where they need to board it.
Alternatively, if you’ll need to drop them off via car, it helps to know the route you’ll need to take, especially as traffic can quickly build up as people make their way to school and work.
There’s a number of health benefits to walking or cycling too, although it does, of course, depend on how far away you are from the school.
If your child is making the transition from primary to secondary school or has anxiety over their return to the classroom, there’s plenty you can do to help.
Alongside providing reassurance, you could also turn to the assistance of a tutor, as they’ll be able to help your child build their confidence and tackle any nervousness.
A tutor can create tailored programmes of learning and support to best help your child, enabling them to make a success of their return to the classroom.