By Susan Heckler
What?? Summer is ending? So soon? Yes! Here is how you can get a jump on Back to School with less stress and still enjoy what remains of summer time. As a parent, we all hate the feeling of sending your child off to school unprepared. For those with multiple children in multiple schools, it is even more difficult. The sooner you get started, the better it is for all concerned. Your school website may be a great resource for what you need, especially reprinting the papers that your child may have brought home and lost. SHIFT your schedule: The start of school is not a great time to shift your child’s schedule around. You may want to ease them in to earlier bed and earlier wake-up in the last 2 weeks before school. Laid Back Summer needs to transition into Full Speed Ahead Fall. TAKE command. You are the parent, thus, Command Central. You are everyone’s go-to on where they are going, what time, what they need etc… The best way to manage that is to have a killer calendar. Make use of your Smart Phone but also have one that the family can refer to in plain sight. Anything that you can do to foster independence is a plus; they can refer to the calendar on their own. You can color code it per child, use erasable pen, post-it or whatever you find works best in your world. School functions, after school activities, playdates, doctor appointments, back to school night, daycare and anything else you need to remember. This you can start immediately! AUGUST is a great time to go through wardrobes and sort the fit and not fit. Looking at the give-away pile will give you a list of the need to replace items. August is the second-biggest sales month for clothing retailers. You can also sort through the left over school supplies to get a jump on staples every student will need. REACT to school notices. If your kids need physicals, get them in so paperwork is set for the start of school. TEACH your kids good organizational skills. Help them organize their rooms and backpacks for greater success for the school year. Help them to streamline their routines as it will also help you. It is also a great time to clean up rooms, organize desks and get your child off to a good start. READY…SET…GO!