5 Things to Remember for Back-to-School

I can hardly even believe that we are finishing up our last week of summer! Where the heck did August go people? For the past couple of weeks back to school has been on my mind BIG TIME, my son going into Grade 4 at a new school and daughter will be joining him for her first year of school. I’ve been working on checking off all the boxes of things that I need to remember for the back-to-school season to make sure they feel confident and ready to start the year.

Back-to-school AKA Peace and quiet. Seriously though. The back-to-school season is like running a marathon with so much on the to-do list and what feels like so little time to get it done in the midst of enjoying those last days of summer.

When it comes down to it our kids really don’t need that much. Taking them to the local shopping centre for back-to-school shopping is always a fun way to start the school year with some new clothes. Chances are they don’t fit their pants from last fall anyways! Besides going clothes shopping, have you checked off these 5 back-to-school tasks and feel ready to start the season?

Thank you so much to IRIS for sponsoring this post and having us into our local IRIS location. We had an amazing experience with our kids and will be bringing in the rest of the family soon to makes sure we are all up to date. Photography: Julie Christine Photography

5 Things to Remember for Back-to-School Season

1. Eye Exams for the Family

   Back-to-school is the perfect time to book eye exams. It’s almost like the New Year where you get a fresh start to the year and you can make sure that your eye health is in good standings for the coming school year. It is especially important for kids. Every year their bodies are growing so much, learning and adapting to their environments. Even if you don’t pick up on signs that they cannot see perfectly, they might be struggling silently. Ensuring that they aren’t having any difficulties seeing will allow them to be able to preform their best in school.

   I recently went into IRIS for our annual appointment and felt so confident with how the testing went. When bringing your kids into have their eyes checked you want to make sure that they eye doctor connects well with children. After sharing about our experience on my Instagram stories, I received several messages of others within my local community sharing that they also see the same doctor and have also had amazing experiences.

   Keep in mind that children can have their eyes tested as early as 6 months old.

   

2. Start a Morning Routine a Few Days Before the First Day of School

   Not always the easiest to wake your kids up earlier then they have to be, but it is great to start getting their morning and nighttime routine back on track. If you are like us your kids have been going to bed a bit later and also sleeping in a bit later. It’s time to adjust that schedule to what it would look like during school days leading up to the first day of school. A good trick is to adjust by 15 minutes everyday until you get on track to your schedule.

3. Pack Your Kids Bags

   Don’t wait the morning of to make sure that you have everything. During the next couple days leading up to school make sure you have all of your child’s school supplies, gym clothes, indoor shoes, tissue paper, lunch box, and anything else you can think of. The first day of school is filled with so many emotions, try not to add stress to the list by being organized beforehand.

   

4. Stay Calm and Encourage

   A new grade is a BIG deal for your child but it is also a BIG deal for you too! Trust me, feeling all the feels over here. I have been reminding myself that my kids are going to have so many emotions on their first day of school and they will need me to be calm, optimistic and encouraging. Try to encourage conversation with your child and see what they might be anxious about, allowing yourself to ease those fears and make them feel more comfortable. As well as connecting with them on what they are most excited for, during their anxious times you can remind them about what excites them.

   

5. Get First Day of … Photographs

   Whether you do this on the first day of school or a couple days before when you are preparing their backpacks, back-to-school photos are so great to look back on. I love sharing our first day of… photos on social media and even created some printables of my own. You can download from Preschool to Grade 12 (click here).

Now get back to enjoying those last precious days of summer with your children and I really do hope that your child’s first day back-to-school is a breeze.