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Tips for Back to School Routines

With summer coming to an end and September just around the corner, it is time to start preparing our children for back to school.  Transition is always a difficult time and transitioning back to a school routine is no different.  The following are some tips to ease our children back into the school routines.

1. Mark your calendar.  Have your child help you mark the first day of school on the calendar and count down the days with your child.
2. Reminders.  Beginning about 2-3 weeks before, remind your child daily how many days remain until the start of school (you can have your child mark an X on the calendar each day to show the time passing).
3. Re-establish bedtime and mealtime routine.  About 2 weeks prior to the start of school you can start the bedtime and mealtime routines that are often lost over the summer months.  Often kids are not willing to re-establish bedtime routine, especially when they can hear their peers playing outside; offer your child the option to play a quiet game or read a book before bed to help with the transition to bedtime.
4. Meet the teacher.  It is a good idea to set up a time for you and your child to meet with his or her new teacher and to see the new classroom.  If your child has a new Aid, it is important the aid is also available to meet.  Meeting with the teacher helps relieve anxiety for your child about the first day of school, who will their teacher be and where the classroom is. This also gives the parent the opportunity to open the door to further conversations with the teacher about the child and the strategies that have been successful in the past.
5. School bus.  If possible plan ahead to speak with the school bus driver about where your child will sit on the bus and who an appropriate bus buddy will be.  Remind your child about school bus rules.

If you have any questions about back to school tips, please contact the Lakeland Centre for FASD. 1-877-594-5454.