Chalk board with 'back to school' written on it for a blog post about going back to school after lockdown
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Back to School: 3 Tips for a Smooth Transition

Collaborative post.

Returning to school after a long summer holiday can be difficult for any child. The classic routine has been out of operation for months, the late nights are taking their tolls, and the long lie-ins certainly aren’t helping.  As a result, it’s often difficult for both parents and children alike to get out of this mindset and back into one of structure and school. However, this time will be different. With Covid-19 causing massive disruption to almost every part of our lives, the summer back to school transition will be more complex, and probably tougher. As a result, parents and children need to be well prepared to make this the easiest and smoothest a transition it can be. We have put together three tips that we think will help out: 

Chalk board with 'back to school' written on it for a blog post about going back to school after lockdown

Begin an Early Routine

This is age old advice. One of the toughest things about going back to school is the initial shock to the system. Children may not be used to having a rigid structure, and will therefore find it difficult to get back into the correct routines that make going back to school that little bit easier. This is especially true in times of Covid-19, as many of the children that normally will have have been going to activity clubs would have been stuck at home. A great way to combat this is to mimic the routine early. Set structured sleep and wake up times, perhaps tapered to make the transition a bit easier (for example 10.00 one day, 9.45 the next and so on). By doing so, your child is much more likely to be ready when it comes to school-time. Research has shown that a bedtime routine in young children helps to promote early childhood development, so it could be an even better idea to try not to deviate from routine too much even when the kids aren’t in formal education (a big ask – we know!).

Invest in Personalised Stationary

School can be extremely boring for children, and there is no escaping that. Boredom can be one of the biggest blocks for attainment, and can no doubt make going back to school harder for children as they generally do not look forward to it. There’s unfortunately no easy workaround for this problem. Your child will of course have some subjects that they enjoy more than others, but getting them as excited about algebra as they are about their latest technology is, realistically, not going to happen. There are however some sneaky techniques that will subconsciously get them much more engaged and motivated for their learning. You should check out Smudge Stationery and their awesome range of trendy kit. This website is perfect for getting your kids involved as there are hundreds of options. One great strategy is to invest in personalised stationary. With new-found optimism, children will not feel so down about transition back into school as they will have something exciting to show their friends. 

Limit Screen Time in the Build-up

Screen time can seriously affect sleep quality and make it harder for children to ‘switch off’. During the break they may have been more involved with their gadgets than usual. So, it may be a smart idea to taper this off in the run up to going back to school. This way they can get back into a routine and go back to school with a fresh, well-rested mind. 

At the end of the day, this transition will certainly be harder than those in the past, but just try to remember that everyone is in this together! Despite what it looks like on the outside, every family will be finding these unprecedented times very tough.

Rachael is a 31 year old mum to 10 year old Luke and 5 year old Oscar. She lives in England and writes about family life, crafts, recipes, parenting wins(and fails), as well as travel, days out, fashion and living the frugal lifestyle.

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