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Back to School

In about two weeks, our girls are headed back to school.  There are numerous things parents can do to ease the transition into the school schedule.  Taking action now can reduce stress on the entire family when school begins. 

Students in our district are required to wear uniforms, so we made sure to shop for those items early.  We felt like we received a better deal on the uniforms this year and even received a credit back to help purchase new shoes! 

We are also preparing for their return by having them go to sleep earlier.  We do not want our daughters to have trouble waking up in the morning.  During the school year, they use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning.

This year we shopped for school supplies during Tax Free Weekend.  We stick to the list, but we let them pick out a few things that were special.  We felt like this would help them be more excited about returning to school.

Chosen Notebooks
I asked family and friends to share Back to School preparations.  Here are their responses:

"When my kids were very young I would buy them new pajamas. It made them excited to put them on and start going to sleep early. As they got older they caught on." - Emma Ramos M.

"I don't tell them when it starts to help reduce anxiety. Two days before I will casually let them know." - Erin K.

"I start prepping in them a month in advance to go over some rules. Being teacher I remind them daily that they cannot come to my classroom. They cannot get out of line to come hug. They can say "hi" only with their index finger. This helps throughout the year. At school I'm not their mom...lol." - Rose Anna L.

"Parents need to start putting their children to sleep earlier and get them used to the routine of waking up early at least one to two weeks before school starts. Try and get ahead of schedule and buy any supplies way before the back to school rush. Same thing with school clothes. Do not wait till the last moment. It will only make it more stressful." - Joe B.

"I would always look forward to my parents getting me new shoes and sometimes a backpack for a new school year." - Christian P.

"We bought our kids alarm clocks and they are excited about that. They love waking up to the alarm. We also bought them watches. They are 6 and 7, and are excited about checking the time and knowing when school starts and when mommy's going to pick them up." - Mimi D.

"We start bed time routines a few weeks before school starts so that they are ready for their 8:30 p.m. bedtime once school starts. Also, devices are picked up at bedtime and there is no TV on school nights." - Jennifer M.

"If I didn't know when school was starting, I would get anxious from the not knowing. My nephew (8) is the same way. So I guess whatever is best for the particular child is the way to go.  They didn't have to mark off the calendar; I did that on my own. I had gotten a wall calendar for my birthday one year fairly early on, and ever since, I've marked off days and written stuff in a planner/on a calendar.   A lot of it had to do with the example I had from my mother. She has carried a calendar in her purse since forever, and I would always see her pull that out. So again, it depends on the household and what structures are already in place." - Elin G.

If your organization is interested in collaborating with RGV DADS, please see the contact information below:

E-mail:  rgvdad2@gmail.com
Website:  fb.me/rgvdads
Twitter:  @rgvdads
Instagram:  rgvdads

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