Get Your Elementary School Kid Ready For Back-to-School

Five ways to help your elementary school kid get ready for back-to-school

Kids are going back to school in just a couple of short weeks, but most of them are still hanging onto summer. Going back to school each fall is a challenging transition that can be made easier by preparing for the classroom in advance. Starting in late August kids will be expected to sit in a classroom and pay attention for up to six hours a day as well as absorb new educational material on a regular basis. Whether kids review core subjects or start getting back into a daily routine, slowly transitioning makes both the child’s and parent’s life a little bit easier.

1. Review foundation materials

Many classroom teachers don’t have the opportunity to review as much as they did in past years. Thus it’s more important than ever for kids to remember the basic tools they learned the previous year. Parents are encouraged to speak with their child’s teacher to determine what they need to be prepared for on the first day. This may include math formulas or reading comprehension skills that pertain specifically to the child’s grade level or it may just mean that the student needs to be able to organize and study without prompting. Doing a little bit of review before the first day helps kids prepare for the semester ahead and feel confident about their ability to learn and succeed.

2. Awaken the brain

Summer is an excellent opportunity for younger kids to take a mental break from everything they’ve done throughout the school year but they should reawaken their brain before the first day of school in the fall. This might mean reading a new book or visiting a science museum. Igniting curiosity and brainpower doesn’t have to be something specific just something that will make the student curious about the world around them and get them excited about learning in the classroom.

3. Attend back-to-school night

Many young kids get nervous about their first day of school. They might be attending a different campus, or they may be wondering if they’ll be able to make new friends. Having a new teacher and a new classroom is also a little bit nerve-racking. One of the ways to ease these fears is to attend back-to-school night or just visit the campus before the first day. Kids will have a chance to see their classroom, meet their teacher, and get to know a few of their future classmates. Spending a little bit of time on campus can make the first day of school less stressful and more fun.

4. Help kids organize

It’s a challenge for young kids to keep themselves organized and they need a little help transitioning from summer to the classroom. They may need a folder for each subject or color code different assignments. Different kids need various organizational tools to stay on top of things. Some kids need auditory cues while others benefit from the visual organization. If a child has had trouble organizing in the past, they should work with a tutor who can help them stay on track for the first few weeks of school to make the transition easier.

5. Start a routine

Some kids experience structure throughout the summer in the form of summer school or camp, but others may not have had any structure whatsoever. If this is the case, kids should start getting used to a daily routine before they start school in the fall. Perhaps they spend an hour in the afternoon reading books, or maybe they work on arts and crafts while their parent is making dinner. Kids who develop somewhat of a routine before starting school will experience a much better transition once they get back to the strict structure of the classroom environment.

Our private Orange County elementary tutors are here to help your kid get ready for back-to-school.

All blog entries, with the exception of guest bloggers, are