5 Easy Tips to Get Ready For Back-To-School Right Now

This was an unprecedented school year for our kids. I don’t think any of us ever expected to have our kids learning from home. Once it was safe to return to school, many of us parents opted to continue distance learning, some of us decided to have our kids return to in-person learning only to go back to remote learning again, and a lucky few were able to send our kids back to in-person school without interruption. Now, as this weird school year finally comes to an end, it’s hard not to worry about what lies ahead. As a parent, you might already be wondering how you can start preparing for the transition back to school. Planning ahead can help calm your worries and ensure the kids feel more confident when it’s time to go back to school this fall. Today I’m sharing five easy tips to ready for back-to-school right now. These simple tips will help make the transition back to school much easier for everyone, guaranteed!

I am part of the Zulily Blogger Program and as a Zulily Lifestyle Expert I’ve written this post in partnership with Zulily. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Check out these and other fun teacher gift ideas by reading my most recent contribution on the Zulily blog.

Here are 5 easy tips to help you get ready for back-to-school right now!

1. Open up the dialogue now

Don’t wait until the end of the summer break to start talking about going back to school. Parenting during the pandemic has been hard! Start those back-to-school conversations now. Talk with your kids about COVID-19, ask what they know and how they feel about it and discuss how this upcoming school year might be impacted by it. Share what you know about the options your school is offering or considering for the upcoming Fall schedule. Encourage your child to talk about their emotions, concerns and feelings.  

Are they excited about seeing friends again? Worried about getting sick? Let them share their thoughts and feelings, both positive and negative, and give them time to ask questions, too! Listen to your child’s concerns and reassure them that adults (parents, teachers, and school administrators, etc.) are trying to do what’s best, but also remind them that everyone may still need to remain flexible as situations can still change. By having these conversations now, kids will be better equipped when it’s time to transition back to school. There are plenty of resources to help you talk to kids about Coronavirus!  

2. Practice proper mask wearing now

No matter how your child returns to learning this Fall, an adjustment period should be expected. If returning to school in-person, it’s quite possible that masks will still be required when kids return to school. Instead of a harsh change — like going from not wearing a mask at all during the summer at home, to now having to wear one for 8 hours a day at school — you can encourage your child to wear a mask and start practicing safe behaviors ahead of time. 

Even your youngest child can be gradually taught to wear a mask properly. You can start practicing now so that your child will become more comfortable and have an easier time transitioning back to school in-person. By gradually increasing the amount of time your child practices proper mask wearing, your child will begin to feel more comfortable when it’s time to return to school with peers. 

3. Keep learning through the entire Summer

Does your child have schoolwork to complete over the Summer? Make sure your kids are reading daily and completing any Summer assignments or special projects. A couple of years ago I shared 4 tips to creating the perfect children’s reading corner and you might still find this helpful as you prepare for reading this summer!  

During Summer months, kids can fall back the equivalent of two entire school months (or more, when you factor in this extended pandemic). Still, our kids have made so much progress this school year (despite distance learning). They’ve worked so hard! And you’ve worked so hard! So let’s not let the summer slide happen. Even if our focus now becomes Summer fun, there are still so many ways to keep our kids learning. Last summer, I wrote about three fun and easy ways to prevent the summer slide. I encourage you to join my Summer Reading Challenge for Kids and download my FREE printables here.

We made it through a tough school year! It’s time to take a break and enjoy Summer but it’s also important to start planning ahead. Head over to the Zulily blog to read the rest of my article and discover the two additional ways you can get ready for back-to-school right now. Click below to read more! 

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