Whether you're bursting with joy at the thought of dropping your little terrors off at the school gate after a long summer holiday, or riddled with stress about all the school supplies you have to buy, we're here to help.
Perhaps you're anxious about how they're going to cope with the new routine, or just how you're going to manage packing a vaguely nutritious lunch every day that they'll actually eat.
Our fine community of wise and organised CHOICE parents has put together a hoard of brilliant top tips for parents of school kids of all ages who are about to head back to the classroom.
Here's what they have to say...
1. Label, label, label
OK, so we know kids will lose stuff, probably a lot of stuff. CHOICE parent Tracy concurs: "Label everything," she says. "With permanent marker – especially hats, jumpers, lunch boxes, drink bottles and pencil cases."
"It can be worth ordering those name stickers and iron-on things and letting your child customise them, pick the colours and patterns they want, and then go crazy labelling everything themselves," she says.
These stickers come in a range of sizes so you can label everything from containers, shoes and books to pencils and stationary too.
CHOICE parent, Rebecca, says, "My sons enjoy getting involved in labelling all their school items. It gets them excited for the start of the school year and gives them a sense of accountability for their belongings."
There are many websites that offer cheap labels you can design yourself, from Big W to Tinyme, Hippo Blue, Stuck on You and Bright Star Kids.
2. To your stations!
Bags, shoes, lunch and extra curricular stations are a great idea to keep your kids (and the family as a whole) organised. This can be as simple as a set of baskets lined up near the front door or in your child's room, or you can get fancy with built-in cubbies if you have the space (and budget).
Getting the kids into the habit of returning these items to their stations when they get home after school goes a long way to staying organised throughout the year.
Create 'stations' so kids can easily prep themselves for the school day.
You can even do it with school lunches. One CHOICE parent says: "My kids are old enough to pack their own lunches so I allocate an entire shelf in the pantry for school snacks and they know they can pick and choose from this shelf only. Freeze sandwiches over the weekend for the entire week (bread rolls are better than sliced bread for this)."
CHOICE parent Simon suggests: "Get the first school day of supplies 'station-ready' with bag and uniforms at arm's reach, so everything is easy to find and ready to go."
Another parent says: "Ensure the kids take responsibility for the things they can actually do. There are loads of websites that can help you decide what is an age-appropriate task. For example, most kids should be able to pack their own lunches from age six."
3. Reward, chore or responsibility charts
Kids love a reward chart. Even if you don't want to associate the tasks with a reward, some kids thrive off a visual representation of what needs to be done in their day. One they can mark off as they get different tasks done.
You can buy these charts from many places like Kmart or Officeworks or you can even DIY and get the kids involved with stickers and the like.
Make your bed, brush your teeth, eat breakfast, pack your bag and put on shoes and a hat. You can customise your list with whatever is happening in your household and tasks that are age appropriate for your child. You can even add in what is happening on particular days (library day, sport day, extra curricular day).
These charts can help to develop good habits, create independence and confidence and develop time-management skills
These charts can help to develop good habits, create independence and confidence and develop time-management skills. It can make mornings less stressful if they can go through their list without you having to constantly tell them what's next.
But make sure you give your child plenty of time in the morning to get their tasks done. There's nothing worse than a child who feels stressed and rushed in the morning. The most basic of tasks can become painful and time-consuming.
4. Shop smart
Tracy suggests doing a 'home inventory' with your child before you head to the shops to stock up on school supplies. See what you already have lying about the house that can be used again and suggest that if your child reuses older things, they can spend the money they've saved on something else – a reward for themselves, or a charity donation of their choice.
And she urges caution: "If you have to visit a shopping centre, chart a careful course through that steers your child well away from shops like Smiggle and Typo. They're the McDonalds of kids' stationery!"
Shop around for the best deals, ask if the retailer offers price-matching and be sure to check unit pricing to ensure you're getting the best value.
See what you already have lying about the house that can be used again
A good approach for when your child is asking for all sorts of things is to start with 'No' and negotiate from there. If you're going to succumb to the car-shaped pencil case your child insists they need, make sure they value it and know that it has to last them.
5. Shoes: Buy early or leave to the last minute?
CHOICE parents are divided on this one. Some suggest getting shoes early so your child (especially if they're starting kindy) can wear them around at home to get comfy in them and avoid blisters.
Kids' feet tend to swell throughout the day, so shop for school shoes in the afternoon.
Other parents say you should wait until the absolute last minute – the summer holidays are long and kids can have a growth spurt at any time! See our 6 steps to make sure your kids' shoes fit.
Be prepared that you may need to make another shoe purchase throughout the year. "My children either grow out of their shoes mid year or wear them out so much that they can't possibly see out the year in the same pair," says Rebecca. "No matter how much you spend on quality shoes, children have a way of testing them to their absolute limits."
Another CHOICE parent, Rachel, says to take advantage of the sales for school shoes at the beginning of the year. "If you find a pair of school shoes they love and the store is offering a discount on a second pair, buy the next size up as well. You'll thank yourself later in the year when their toes have broken through and there are no school shoes for sale in the stores."
6. Break holiday habits
If you've been a little lax with screen time over the school holidays, now might be a good time to start scaling it back, perhaps enforcing no screen time in the mornings (when they'll soon be getting ready for school) and no screen time after a certain time in the evening.
Allocate a time before bed for reading books or doing lower-stimulation activities, such as word searches or crossword puzzles.
You may also be more relaxed when it comes to bed time during the holidays. Late nights, early mornings, busy fun-filled days, maybe even the occasional day-time nap (what a dream). Getting the kids back into a bed-time routine the week before school starts will hopefully save you from having to drag them out of bed on the first day.
If you're positive about back-to-school time, chances are your kids will be, too.
7. Be positive!
Kids will often take their cues from you – so remind them about all the great things they like about school. Simon suggests reminding your child that playing with their friends is much better than hanging out with mum or dad.
Plus, to ease the transition, you can blur the gap a little between school and holiday by balancing work and play.
"We play some during school terms, learn some during holidays. We've spent at least an hour a day during the holidays working on his reading and writing skills so it's less of a change when he goes back to school," says Simon.
8. Get creative to save time
Being organised the night before will save time and sanity in the morning.
This golden stress-saving tip comes from CHOICE parent Marg: "I used to set the table for breakfast (cereal in the box, bowls and spoons), fill the kettle, put tea bags in the cups, lay out uniforms and have bags packed all before I went to bed. My husband would laugh at me but it really helped take the stress out of the mornings."
9. Travel training
For children who may be ready to walk or ride a bicycle to school by themselves, or take the bus, you might like to start them on some 'travel training' while still on holidays.
Take the bus or train with them, or walk or ride the route they'll be taking to school a few times to help them get used to it.
"My son is going to high school so we are riding our bikes to and from the new school for an entire week prior to him starting," says another CHOICE parent.
10. Make friends with the freezer, and involve your kids
CHOICE parents are big on being prepared with lunches. One says, "My biggest learning is to freeze sandwiches and snacks so I always have something to throw in their lunchboxes. I always pack lunches the night before as we're out early in the mornings."
Avoid lunchbox angst by preparing ahead and getting the kids involved.
"Fresh sandwiches freeze well, particularly with fillings such as jam, Vegemite, chicken, cheese (grated only, otherwise it gets too crumbly) – just make ahead and take out the night before or in the morning before they head off to school. They will be surprisingly fresh and soft by lunchtime," she says.
Kathleen also suggests using reusable fabric or beeswax sandwich bags to reduce plastic, and freeze treats like muffins, donuts and cupcakes.
"Cupcakes freeze well with icing if it covers the cupcake completely, and cream cheese icing freezes really well," she says.
Ash also says that involving your kids in lunchbox shopping and prep is not only a great way to teach them new skills, but can make them more engaged and more likely to actually eat what you've packed them.
Stock up on snacks you know your kids love when they're on special and be sure to check the unit prices to make sure you're getting the best deal. For example, cheese and cracker packs are convenient but can be much more expensive than purchasing a block of cheese and box of crackers and portioning the servings yourself.
11. Crafty contact
As kids across the country prepare to trudge again towards the classroom, you can almost feel the collective palpable panic of the mums and dads that abhor one thing above all else: contacting exercise books. Who would have thought that applying a simple clear sheet of plastic to a book could cause so much anxiety?
Anyone who has painstakingly smoothed out the sticky substance over a crisp new textbook only to discover they've created the telltale creasing or bubbling of a contact fail will understand the fear.
One creative solution is to buy clear plastic book covers (available from shops like Officeworks) and then design your own special covers for each school subject. It may be something your child can do on the computer on their own, or a team effort that you can get involved in.
These plastic covers may cost more than a roll of book covering but the saving to your sanity may be well worth it.
12. Teach the kids about waste
If your kids are old enough, now could be a good time to talk to them about reducing waste and how the little things they can do can make a difference. You could watch documentaries such as ABC TV's War on Waste together to start the conversation and encourage them to be more responsible with their belongings.
Praise kids for reusing things and making them last, then hopefully you'll be making fewer trips to lost property as an added bonus!
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