The first few weeks back to school after summer vacation (or any holiday) can be difficult, even for the most dedicated students and the most organized parents and especially so for the rest of us undedicated, disorganized ones!
But there is help out there, if you know where to look. Here are some great ways to combat the back-to-school blues before school begins and after it’s in session.
Keep Kids Well-Supplied
From gym clothes and art supplies to everyday things like pencils and erasers, kids go through things quickly at school. And because these sorts of supplies tend to live at school, it’s more difficult for us to keep tabs on what they have and what they need. Make sure your wee ones have all the supplies they need, not only before school starts, but as the school year progresses.
Tip for keeping stock of school supplies: Post a list of what you sent to school inside their closet or over their desk. Have them review it weekly to see if they have run out of anything. Have them write out a list of what they need and leave it for you (even little ones can copy words or do drawings of what they need).
See our directory for art supplies in Toronto and Ottawa, bookstores in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Ottawa, children’s shoe stores in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and children’s clothing in Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver.
Plan One-on-One Time
It can be hard to find time for all the little things: studying for spelling tests, helping with French homework, practicing a ballet move or baseball pitch.
We want to do these things with our kids, but sometimes work, errands, and commitments get in the way. There are ways to carve out time—sometimes it involves stricter scheduling, other times it’s giving up a few personal events.
Tip for finding more time: Plan out school lunches to coincide with leftovers during the week with one day that they can buy lunch or get to pack their choice of lunch. This saves time on grocery shopping, cooking, planning, and lunch packing, leaving lots of time for snuggling, talking, and helping the kids with whatever they might need help with.
We have resources on our site for grocery & meal delivery in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, and Ottawa. We also list tutors & enrichment programs in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, and even after-school programs that can give our kids something enriching to do after school in Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, and Vancouver while you finish work or run errands.
Keep Everyone Active
Keeping our kids active can sometimes be difficult. There are only so many trips to the park we can make in one week, and when there’s snow on the ground, the trips dwindle further.
Tip for keeping active: Enrol kids in a sports program either at school or elsewhere. And why not schedule yourself in for a class at the same time as theirs? If you can get something close you can drop them and dash to a yoga or kickboxing class. They’ll never even know you were gone and everyone wins.
Check our listings for camps in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Calgary and sports in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa for active programs for kids.
Read more: 9 Ways To Movitate Inactive Kids To Exercise
Plan Some Fun/Don’t Forget to Play!
As parents we sometimes forget what it’s like to be a child. Force yourself to remember every once in a while and schedule in some fun time. Whether it’s a night out for you, a trip for the family, or perhaps even a parenting class, keeping everyone happy somehow manages to…keep everyone happy!
Tip for planning play: Schedule a family trip (it can be as big as a trip across the country or as small as an outing in your hometown) for the end of school or school break that everyone can look forward to. Set up a calendar on which you can check off the days and start making lists of what you’ll do on that vacation.
If kids have something tangible to look forward to, they will curb bad behaviours, listen better, and perform better in stressful situations.
We have listings for family outings & attractions in Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Toronto; theatre & concerts for kids in Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver as well as resources for family vacation spots in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
This article was updated in July 2015.
PHOTO: CARISSA ROGERS
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