It's Back-to-School Time!
After a wonderful summer, making memories with family and friends...it's that time of year to gear up and get ready for school to start! Whether you're a returning student or a parent or sibling or legal guardian...what are you doing to mentally prepare yourself to get back in the groove? After a long vacation of relaxation and not a care in the world of having to be somewhere by a certain time, this transition can be quite the challenge. Here are some recommended tips to help you get back on your feet and aim for a successful fresh start of the school year :
* Manage your sleeping patterns now by setting a bedtime. Studies have shown that each person's sleeping pattern varies, however, here are what doctors recommend broken down in by age category:
newborn-3 months: 14-17 hours a day
4-12 months old: 14-15 hours a day
1-3 years old: 12-14 hours a day
3-6 years old: 10-12 hours a day
7-12 years old: 10-11 hours a day
12-18 years old: 8-9 hours a day
18-25 years old: 7-9 hours a day
26-64 years old: 7-9 hours a day
65+: 7-8 hours a day
I put this at the very top as a priority because sleep deprivation is SO real and it snowballs into your everyday life. It's crucial to make sure you're getting enough rest to make sure your brain functions properly for the following day. What helps us get on a consistent repetition is sticking to a sleeping plan, even on the weekends. Manage your caffeine and alcohol intake, Turn off electronics before bed, check your surroundings for noise and bright lights, make sure you get your exercise in somehow.
* Some children get really nervous meeting a new teacher and not knowing who will be in class, the best way to break the ice is to rehearse an entry with them, or walk in to meet their teacher with them on their first day of school.
* If you feel it is necessary, rehearse with your child where to meet you when it comes time for pickup to help relieve any stress on them. It is also important to let them know if they should expect to get on a bus, walk home with a friend, bike home, or be picked up by another family member.
* Studies show that children who eat a nutritious breakfast, function better.
* Some students qualify for eating free breakfast or lunch at the cafeteria, it never hurts to look into what's on the menu for the week.
* Create an environment that is conductive to doing homework and projects.
* Have a daily planner to jot down upcoming events.
* Supervise Computer and Internet use.
* Get involved in your child's extracurricular activities.
* Prepare how to get from point A to point B on time by keeping up with the traffic news report on supported apps such as Google Maps or Waze.
* Create a carpooling system with a relative, parent of a friend, or neighbor that attends the same school as your child.
* Schedule days for grocery shopping, and going out as a family.
* Wait until after the first few days of school to do your back-to-school shopping for supplies teachers may require for class. This way you get everything your child will need at a one time visit at the store. On the plus side, lines to the cashier will be much shorter.
* Find a place, any place, where you can find your inner peace. For my husband and I, it's exploring the outdoor wilderness, witnessing God's creative masterpiece with nature.
There's so much out there to do to help prepare ourselves for the start of the school year. I hope these tips come to some use while juggling whatever life has to throw our way. Whatever you have to do to mentally prepare yourself for it, start planning on it now if you haven't already. The goal is to try to maintain a repetition...but it isn't the end of the world if things change up from time to time. If that's ever the case, don't stress about it, shake it off and do a happy dance afterwards. After all, life is a dance, isn't it?
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