BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS FOR SUCCESS
HOW TO TRANSITION TO FALL LIKE A PRO
Summer is always fleeting, but somehow, this summer felt even more blink-and-it’s-gone. At Harmony, we are now a pack of whirling dervishes, prepping our classrooms for another year of adorable children primed to learn through play and fill each school day with joy.
As parents, we know all too well how this schedule shift can at first feel like the grind of an engine too hastily switching gears in a standard-transmission car—clunky, cringeworthy, and exhausting. But with a touch of advance planning, you’ll be shifting gears more smoothly than the winner of the Indy 500...
Back to Basics
Adjust Bedtime and Wake Time As Needed
A few days before school starts, start implementing consistent, earlier bedtimes that will get your children up and at ‘em with plenty of time for you to arrive at the classroom without breaking a sweat. Giving your whole family extra wiggle room to transition from a slower summer routine to a steady school routine will help everyone’s adjustment.Encourage Independence
Self-sufficiency in basic self-care tasks is a major focal point of early education—and a little practice at home can help your child take great strides in preparation for life in the classroom. Give your child the opportunity to practice putting on, zipping, and taking off his jacket…putting his backpack on, taking it off, and hanging it on a hook…removing shoes and putting on slippers…washing and drying his hands. It’s ok if they can’t yet do everything—some tasks take longer than others to master. But as the old adage says, practice makes perfect!
What To Bring to School
Required Gear
Every school’s requirements are different—double-check that you’ve got all bases covered a few days before school starts. It’s a great self-checkpoint to ensure you have everything you need before the first morning. From indoor shoes or slippers to water bottles, a spare outfit, and raingear... If you’re on the fence about packing something, it’s always better to have extras in the backpack than to be without.
Teachers Love Labels
…that is, the kind parents put on children’s clothing, water bottles, and personal items! Think how challenging it can be for you to track your child’s belongings during the day at home—then consider the classroom, with maybe 10 times the number of children… Un-labeled items innocently misplaced by your child will swiftly wind up in a lost-and-found, classroom spare gear collection, or en route home in another child’s backpack.
If you want to be sure you don’t lose your child’s belongings—and you want to help keep the teaching team focused on education and play—label, label, and, when in doubt…label!
Special Toys
Check your school’s policy about children bringing in beloved items from home. At Harmony, for example, while we welcome a lovie for children still adjusting to drop-off/separation, our strong preference is for special toys to stay at home. Not only for the obvious reasons—one less item for you to label; one less item for a teacher to chase; one less item for you panic was left on the classroom floor when your child goes to sleep that night—but toys brought from home are significantly distracting and disruptive to children learning to share classroom materials. So when your child is leaving the house and begs for Fluffster the Pup to stowaway in her backpack, tell her to give him an extra-big hug when she leaves for school, and that he’ll be waiting patiently to hear all about her day when she comes home.
Lunch
Make it Easy for your Child
Choose a lunchbox or bag they can open on their own. Pack finger-foods or cut food into smaller or bite-sized pieces. Open or start to open any tricky packaging so your child can eat as independently as possible.Pack Foods They Love
A stimulating school lunchtime surrounded by friends isn’t the ideal time to force the nutrition plan you’ve been meaning to try. To ensure your child fills her belly and keeps energy levels stable, pack the most nutritious foods she already likes (or loves) to eat. A little dessert is fine—but keep in mind your child will eat whatever she feels like first. So if you don’t want her eating dessert as her first course, don’t pack it. And keep in mind that lunchtime is more about being social and less about eating—don’t be surprised if the lunchbox is returned barely touched…and maybe be ready to serve a second lunch when they return home.
The Night Before
Stuff the Backpacks, Pack the Lunch
…or at least, as much of it as you can. The night before the first school day (and each one thereafter), ensure your child’s backpack has your school’s required items for the day, and pre-pack as many lunch items as you can—this way, your morning can be as calm as possible.
Young children feed off of our energy and emotional presence, so a little preparation will give you a smooth head-start to the school year.
Drop-Off
Set Clear Expectations
Before the first day of school, explain exactly what will happen each day at drop-off so your child can anticipate and get comfortable with the order of events. Develop a simple, loving goodbye routine—maybe a big hug and a quick hand squeeze. Be clear that you will leave, and when you will return. If you feel it will be helpful to your little one, make it fun—take turns pretending a goodbye drop-off with a few favorite members of your stuffed animal family so your child can fully grasp the concept and the order of events.Set The Tone
Consistently exude confidence that your child can do this, and will have a great day—your calm confidence will make a world of difference.Stay Strong!
Despite the temptation to do otherwise, never sneak out—it can unwittingly instill or enhance separation anxiety. Lovingly but firmly tell your child when you’re leaving and follow through even if he or she is upset. Though some children experience an extended challenge with separation, nine times out of ten, the upset quickly wanes once you’ve made your exit. Lingering and prolonging goodbyes can spiral little anxieties—and you can always call for an update.
We hope these tips have boosted your confidence as you transition to the new school year. You’re in good company with the extended community of young families also making this happen every day—you’ve got this! And as for us, we can’t wait to see those sweet faces every morning, starting September 7th! Wishing you a successful school year!
We’d love to see any Harmony-inspired moments you capture along your child’s early years journey. Tag us (@HarmonyNLC) on Facebook and Instagram, and use the hashtags #HarmonyNaturalLearningCenter #TheHarmonyApproach #HarmonyNLC
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Interested in introducing more of The Harmony Approach to your preschooler at home? Check out Harmony at Home today (FREE activities available).
We have a few available Multi-Track Kindergarten spaces for the coming school year—a great option for an upper preschooler too! Schedule Your Tour today!