Thursday, August 13, 2015

How to Help Your Child Get Ready for Back to School

How to Help Your Child Get Ready for Back to School

OKEMOS, Mich. – Do you have a child heading back to school this fall? As you know, summer vacation comes and goes as fast as a day at the beach where suddenly the sun is setting and it’s getting colder. Hitting the books after three months away from a classroom can quickly turn into a stressful experience for many children, but we have some suggestions for how to help your child get ready for back to school.

Ask your child how ready they feel. Sometimes a simple question is all your child needs to muster up some courage for heading back to school. Find out if your child is nervous or excited. How are they planning to deal with that? Are they aware that they can come to you for advice and comfort as they make a difficult transition? Talking with your child always helps.

Take your child to their school before the semester begins. Class orientations are the best way to get your child used to the school environment because it gives them a chance to walk the hallways, find the nearest bathrooms to their classroom, meet or reacquaint themselves with other children, and take in the atmosphere of their classroom.

If your child’s class doesn't have an orientation before the semester begins, you can probably take them to visit the school a week beforehand – staff will most likely be working and preparing for the semester anyway. You could even just take them on a walk around the school, or to play at the playground, if there is one. Any of these will make them more comfortable.

Let your child choose their school supplies. As an adult, you may have forgotten how important it is to your child to have a certain color notebook, or pencils wrapped in graphics of their favorite superhero or cartoon characters. In your child’s eyes, school supplies are a statement to other children about who they are and what they like.

Make buying school supplies fun for your child and let them pick out items that fall under any school codes but still exemplify their personality. This will help them lighten up about the impending school year and relieve them of some anxiety.

Get your child on a stricter schedule. You might be lenient about your child’s sleep and play schedules during the summer months, but once the school year begins you know that has to change in order for your child to get the most from their education. Instead of waiting to put your child on a school schedule when the semester begins, try implementing it a week or so earlier.

Your child might pout about it, but it will adjust them ahead of time and make the transition much easier for both of you. If you wait to get them on a school schedule, you and your child could have one hectic first week of school.

Help your child feel independent. You know how it works – As you grow older you naturally yearn for more independence, but some children hit a point where independence can feel a little scary. Instead of acknowledging an increase in freedom, they feel more detached and alone than anything.

This commonly occurs in a classroom when your child is away from you in a classroom for 7–8 hours, 5 days a week. Help your child get used to being away from you by supporting their independence.

As was mentioned, you can let them pick out their own school supplies, but you can also do things like let them choose what they want for lunch the first day of school – Better yet, you could even let them make their own lunch. There are other ways to instill independence, but we’ll leave that to your discretion seeing as parents differ in their beliefs on child independence.

Parents have different opinions on how to help your child get ready for back to school, but hopefully these suggestions give you some direction in how to help your child cope with the transition period between summer vacation and the classroom.


Your child isn’t the only one who will make a transition as summer nears its end. You also have things to prepare for, albeit in the realm of adulthood, such as maintaining your vehicle and preparing it for colder weather. After all, you want to ensure that you can drive your child to school on time without any mechanical issues. Make sure you stop in at our used car dealership serving Haslett, Mich., to get a regular oil change and maybe even a new set of tires before the colder weather kicks in.

Hank Graff Chevrolet Okemos is committed to providing you with integrity and convenience, all close to home. Let our friendly team of Chevy professionals at Hank Graff Okemos help you –– simply call us at (517) 349-8300 or visit our showroom, located at 1748 W. Grand River Okemos, MI 48864. We’re just minutes from Lansing!

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