It’s finally September, which means it’s back to school season. However, back to school is SO different this year. Some of us have started school with virtual classes and will slowly transition to classroom teaching, while others will start their semester with in-class learning from day one.
I happen to be a parent with children doing both models. My son started his in-class learning, while my daughters have been taking online classes for the past three weeks. (Yes…my life is crazy!)
Whether your child is sitting in front of a camera or in the classroom, they still need to get geared up! As a mother of young children, here are 5 easy tips for getting your kids off to a strong start.
- Stock up on Supplies. If your budget will allow, stock up on school supplies, apparel, shoes, etc. Some schools allow you to pre-purchase a school supply packet, which saves you time. I also buy boxes of pencils, an electric pencil sharpener, rulers…things that I know they will lose fairly quickly! Recognizing how fast my children’s feet will grow during the school year, I order a bigger size knowing their feet will grow into the new shoes, which allows them to use those shoes a little longer. I always buy two pairs of shoes because my kids play HARD at school. This allows me to avoid re-stocking mid-semester when we are knee-deep in homework and other socially distant activities.
- Get Their Hair Ready. When the girls were younger, I used to comb their hair in the morning because their head was smaller and they had less hair! It was a fast process (one or two afro puffs) and I could endure their “ouch mommy”. Now that they are older, their hair is thicker and longer, so I am starting to do styles that save time in the morning, such as braided styles that may last a week or at least a few days so I don’t have to comb their hair every morning. Another tip is, if possible, try to pre-style their hair the night before (and protect it with a silk scarf) to save time in the morning. (If I need to comb hair in the morning, I usually do it while they are eating breakfast.) So, get all your hair products ready and create quick and easy hairstyles on your children.
- Prep the Night Before. Every night, I do my best to prep the night before to take the stress off of my morning routine. So whether that’s packing snacks for school, planning breakfast and dinner for the next day or having them set out their clothes the night before, I find that this step helps reduce the stress in the morning and the day. I also make sure their backpacks are out and in assigned chairs for a quick escape to the car…or sign on! (An extra tip: some days I will make extra pancakes and warm them up in the toaster later that week!)
- Wake up Before They Do. My morning school routine starts an hour before my children wake up because I need that much needed “alone” time before their day starts. This gives me enough time to walk and feed the dog, go for a run, take a shower and get myself ready, all before they get up and the madness starts. I find on the days that I don’t wake up earlier than my kids I’m all over the place during the morning routine…and they suffer as a consequence. I am usually late getting into the office because I have to circle back after getting them settled for school and get myself pulled together.
- Outsource and/or Ask for Help. If you can, outsource as much as you can. What I realized as a mother is that it was more important that I was present at their games than their practices. It’s more important that we eat as a family, than I get home to cook the meal. I have someone pick them up and drop them off to school, activities, practices / drills because I have to work. Working moms have to figure out what works best for their schedule. For example, I hired a graduate student (who is also in class virtually) to monitor my daughters while they are online learning so that I can focus on my work (she also picks up my son from school and gets them to their activities). And even if you are not a working mom, that might still apply to you because you need a moment to yourself, to run errands or catch up on other things. Whether it’s getting somebody to pick them up and drop them off at practices (if they are still doing that – due to Covid) or having your groceries delivered instead of going grocery shopping, all these things will save you time (and your sanity) and give you peace of mind. (Side note: If you are lucky and you have a grandparent, aunt, uncle…heck even a cousin around, leaning on family can save a LOT of money!)
Although things are very different this year due to Covid-19, we have chosen to send our kids back to school with masks because we think it’s important for them to have that social experience. (The girls transition from online to in-person learning just after Labor Day…praying this works!) However, we are still very cautious and we decided to opt out of Fall sports. We didn’t enroll our children in any kind of contact sports. Instead, they are doing drills with their basketball coach to keep their skills up during the Fall season. We wanted to help the kids keep that routine of normalcy as much as possible so we pivoted into additional sports that offer less contact like horseback riding and tennis. Every family’s options and decision points are different. You have to do your research in your local community and find what works best for your kids and family. I hope my tips will help you gear your kids back to school in a more organized, stress-free way!
What are some of your tricks of the trade? Share them in the comments below!
xoxo
Renee @LifeByRenee
