Back-to-School Tips from Experts
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on August 29, 2024
As the back-to-school season approaches, many families experience a mix of emotions. Summer is almost gone, and it’s time to return to the usual school routine, which can be both exciting and frustrating. Before it’s time to head back, these back-to-school tips will get you covered with some practical and easy-to-follow expert advice for a stress-free start to the new school year.
How to prepare for back-to-school with Brighterly
Starting school all over again isn’t as easy as it may seem for most kids. Some of them may feel insecure about school subjects after several months of summer break. This is especially true for math, as it’s one of the most difficult disciplines in the whole curriculum. In that case, back-to-school preparation for students may include hiring a math tutor.
Online tutoring platforms like Brighterly can help your kid build a bridge between the long summer break and the academic year ahead. Our expert-driven tutors implement effective and fun math activities to rebuild your child’s math confidence, as well as provide your kid with back-to-school study tips. These math sessions will also help them repeat what they learned in the previous grade or fill knowledge gaps with new and important math skills.
Not only does it boost their math potential, but it also fosters a positive attitude towards STEM subjects.
Brighterly tutors focus on a personalized approach, creating a tailored curriculum to ensure maximum responsiveness to your kid’s needs. The best thing is that we don’t just teach math concepts; we connect them to real-life situations and scenarios so our students realize the relevance of math in daily life.
Back-to-school tips for parents
Getting ready for back-to-school is tough for families, but here are a couple of back-to-school tips for parents to make this experience as smooth as possible.
- Prepare and organize
- Establish reasonable expectations
- Incorporate healthy habits
- Establish ownership of responsibilities
- Provide emotional support
Back-to-school tip for parents #1: Prepare and organize
Organizing everything before going back to school is one of the top tips for back-to-school success. Yes, it falls mainly on parents’ shoulders, especially if their kids are younger. Here are a couple of ideas to organize back-to-school perfectly:
- Prepare school supplies
Make a checklist and shop early to prevent any last-minute purchases. First, you’ll avoid unnecessary rush, and second, you won’t stress as much. Also, if you forget to buy something, you’ll have plenty of time to do it.
- Label school stuff
If your kid tends to lose things, labeling everything is a good idea. That way, if something goes missing, there’s always a chance that someone will get it back to you.
- Make a schedule
Creating a daily routine will help your child adjust to school with less stress.
Jen Jones, educator and literacy expert, says this is a #1 tip for going back to school. Keeping bedtimes and waking schedules consistent, especially during the first weeks, is vital for a smooth transition. A 2023 study shows that children with steady routines have better focus and behavior.
“My #1 tip is to establish a predictable and calming routine.”
Back-to-school tip for parents #2: Establish reasonable expectations
It’s important for parents to be honest with children about what they expect from a child and how they define “success”. After all, it’s equally stressful for both children and adults to live in today’s high-stakes achievement culture.
Jeannine Jannot, Ph.D. and author of “The Balanced Student,” offers this advice to consider as the first day of school is approaching:
“Parents can ask themselves what they expect from their child as they take time to consider their hopes for the coming school year.”
Back-to-school tip for parents #3: Incorporate healthy habits
Back-to-school tips that set for education success include incorporating healthy habits. Things like nutrition, sleep, and physical activity play a crucial role in helping your kids get back into school routines.
- Sleep schedule
Shift bedtime and waketime gradually to align them with school hours before school actually begins. Experts suggest that sleep schedules should stay the same throughout the year to prevent difficulties with overall sleep.
- Nutrition
Plan good, balanced meals and snacks to support a good level of energy for your kid. It doesn’t mean you have to cancel out all of the junk food and sweets, but oversaturating their diet with unhealthy options is not a good idea for back-to-school preparation for students.
- Physical activity
Regular physical activity and active games are important for focus and motivation, as well as overall well-being. Back-to-school students have to be ready for the physical challenges of school.
Back-to-school tip for parents #4: Establish ownership of responsibilities
This is a crucial back-to-school tip for parents. Every parent wants their children to succeed. The problem is that the desire for that can drive parents to micromanage and deprive their children of the opportunities to learn from their own mistakes. In other words, parents don’t trust their children. In fact, students with trusting and supportive parents experience more confidence, success, and overall well-being.
Jeannine Jannot suggests families sit down and talk through the responsibilities of each:
“The key is that the parent is not taking responsibility for anything that their child is developmentally capable of doing for themselves.”
Back-to-school tip for parents #5: Provide emotional support
Back-to-school students feel a lot of pressure as it is. Parents should provide more emotional support to their children during this time. Talk to your kids about their emotions, feelings, and expectations from the upcoming school year.
Another tip for going back to school is to provide your child with strategies to manage school-related anxiety and stress. Easy meditation and relaxation techniques can be very effective.
Back-to-school tips for students
Believe it or not, new outfits and school supplies won’t have you covered on back-to-school tips and tricks (even though it’ll definitely help get you off to a good start!). Here are a couple of extra tips for going back to school for students.
- Set goals
- Create a distraction-free learning environment
- Make sure your family knows about your schedule
Back-to-school tip for students #1: Set goals
Set goals for each day, month, and year. It may seem boring at first, but having a to-do list and actually completing it can boost your confidence and motivation. Research shows that writing your goals down maximizes your chances to accomplish them by 42%.
Back-to-school tip for students #2: Create a distraction-free learning environment
Back-to-school students should find a quiet and clean space to finish their homework, projects, and other assignment. A cluttered desk or constant noise from your family definitely won’t help you focus.
Back-to-school tip for students #3: Make sure your family knows about your schedule
Communicating your schedule with your family will help you keep your priorities secured. You can even print out a calendar where you can plan shared activities when both you and your parents are free. Also, good time management is an important skill that will come in handy in college.
Back-to-school tips for elementary students
Elementary kids might need a little more back-to-school preparation for students. They may have been through this a couple of times, but saying “bye” to the summer season can take a toll on kids under the age of eleven. Let’s explore a couple of back-to-school study tips for elementary.
Back-to-school tip for elementary #1: Set priorities straight
Chaos and destruction won’t help when you’re prepping elementary kids for school. If your child struggles with organization, you have to be their beacon and help them along the way. Make a list of things that have to be done before school starts, and share this list with your kid. Letting them know what’s coming will help them understand that they have responsibilities, too.
Back-to-school tip for elementary #2: Give them space to fail and try again
Getting ready for back-to-school for elementary doesn’t mean you have to do everything for your child. Otherwise, how will they learn to take ownership, manage their time, and be efficient? Obviously, some kids need more scaffolding than others. But making them set up their backpack for school the night before or planning their homework assignments is a good start.
Back-to-school tip for elementary #3: Manage screen time
It’s 2024, so avoiding screen time completely isn’t an option. Nonetheless, establishing a more strict screen schedule during school days is a must. Otherwise, it’ll interfere with homework and sleep.
Does it mean you have to deprive children of technology on school days? Not necessarily. Setting a timer for online activities might help you build healthy boundaries.
Back to school tips for high school students
After a couple of months of sleeping in, playing video games, and long hangouts with friends, easing back to school can be not so easy. Teens can feel a little more confident than in middle school or elementary, but it doesn’t mean they are always prepared. Here are some back-to-school tips for teens.
Back-to-school tip for high school #1: Emotion management
People tend to feel anxious and frustrated before new experiences. This is completely normal and doesn’t require adjustments. But, if you’re feeling too many emotions at once, they can easily overwhelm you.
Learning emotion management strategies and relaxation techniques will help you with your nerves. Start small: acknowledge that you’re feeling anxious and research techniques that will work for you.
Back-to-school tip for high school #2: Get enough sleep
When we’re young, we tend to underestimate sleep. Missing your bedtime a couple of times a week might feel like a minor inconvenience, and this will affect your alertness and focus. Don’t give in to unhealthy sleeping patterns, and get 8-9 hours of sleep every night of the week.
Back-to-school tip for high school #3: Protect your relationship
This is an important back-to-school tip for parents! Once the kids hit puberty, parents focus more on short-term goals, like getting into a good college, rather than relationships with their young ones. Jeannine Jannot noticed this concerning phenomenon in her coaching, so she suggested parents should see the big picture over the education success of their kids:
If you don’t have much space in the house, consider using noise-cancelling headphones to minimize distractions.
“Regardless of our parenting expectations and goals for our kids, it is imperative to remember this one thing: value your relationship with your child over their academics.”
Conclusion
When summer is gone and school is approaching, both kids and parents feel anxious. Even though it’s a normal thing to experience, families should have effective strategies to prevent chaos before school begins.
Expert tips like organizing and planning the back-to-school, adjusting routines, setting goals, finding a quiet place to study, and reducing screen time can positively influence the beginning of the school year. Hiring a math tutor for those who fall behind is also a good idea for many kids out there.
Remember, a positive attitude is the one thing that’ll help you along with back-to-school tips and tricks. And if you feel like you need a little help, book a free tutoring session for your kid with Brighterly!
Start a new school year bright!
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