Essential Back-to-School Tips for Parents
Posted on August 20 2018
Essential Back-to-School Tips for Parents
A parent guide to keeping learning in focus in the new school year.
While it may seem like school just let out for the summer, the new school year is quickly approaching. This back-to-school parent guide will help you prepare your kids for the transition from summer to school year – and keep you on track with more activity-filled days to come. Use these tips to help keep your kids’ learning in focus:
- Prioritize sleep
- Play hard
- Keep reading
- Establish teacher communication
Continue reading to discover more about these back-to-school tips for parents.
1. Prioritize sleep
Getting enough sleep is vital for everyone – and some experts believe it’s even more crucial for kids. While schedules naturally change and may become lax during the summer, more structure during the school year will set them up for more brain power to tackle their busy day ahead. As you ease into the school routine, you may wonder how much sleep your kids need. Professionals recommend 9-12 hours, depending on your child’s age.
2. Play hard
Studies have shown that play is vital for kids' cognitive, social, and emotional development. In addition, unstructured playtime can teach kids to resolve conflicts, work in groups, and make decisions – all highly effective skills for a successful school year. If your child’s free playtime is limited at school or they have several scheduled after-school activities, allow them plenty of opportunities to engage with the world around them on the weekends – and join in! Play outside, build forts, go hiking, or create a new craft or art project.
3. Stock up on supplies
Most schools distribute a supply list for families well in advance of the school year. Our next back-to-school tip for parents is to begin stocking up on these essentials early to ease back into the school mindset and ensure your child is adequately prepared. Consider adding inexpensive reading, speech, and comprehension tools to your child’s list – or purchase and donate them to your child’s classroom – to make reading even more fun for young learners.
Discover what real teachers had to say about our educational speech and reading tools here.
4. Establish teacher communication
This time of year is excellent for reaching out and connecting with your child's teacher about the coming school year. When you talk, take a few minutes to get to know their goals for the upcoming year, express any concerns or questions about your child, and find out how to best communicate with them. Whether it’s phone, email, social media, or in-person conferences, establish the best way to keep the lines of communication open all school year long.
These back-to-school tips for parents can help prepare you and your child for the year ahead. For more about our reading and speech learning tools, shop our Toobaloo and Eyelighter collections online or call 877.819.2541 for customer support today.
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