Whether your child is heading into reception or returning to school after the holidays, adjusting back to a school routine can be tricky for children and parents alike. To help you and your little ones prepare, we at Ashbridge Independent School have put together some of our top back-to-school tips to get the whole family back into the rhythm and make those first weeks back a little easier.
Our Top Tips on Going Back-to-school
Although children often love school once they’re back, the change from being on their break can be a shock for both parents and children alike. To help you both get back in the swing of things and ready for the school year ahead, take a look at our best back-to-school tips below:
- Buying new supplies
- Setting a Night Time Routine
- Preparing for first-day nerves
- Keeping energy up with nutritious food
- Making a space for homework
Buying New Supplies
The start of a new school year or term is the ideal time to restock your child’s school supplies and uniform. As many have learnt the hard way, you can buy your child’s uniform too early if they experience a sudden growth spurt over the summer holidays. We recommend waiting until mid-August to make sure your child’s uniform fits or picking them up in a bigger size.
Ashbridge Independent School parents can find out more information about their child’s uniform on our uniform shop. All uniforms are supplied through our partners, Top Marque Uniforms in Lytham. During term time, we stock a limited amount of pre-worn uniforms available for purchase. Availability and stock are shared with parents via internal communications.
When it comes to school supplies, including pens, pencils, pencil cases, and backpacks, we always recommend getting organised early to save any last-minute dashes to the shops. As a back-to-school tip to get your little one excited for the new term, take them to choose their own stationary and school bag – this is a great way to get apprehensive little ones looking forward to returning to school.
Setting a Night Time Routine
Over the holidays, your children may have been enjoying some later nights. However, getting back on track for the early mornings can prove to be a little tricky when this has been the case. Our best back-to-school tip for getting your little ones used to the early mornings again is to gradually transition them back to early nights, making it easier the night before their first day.
Setting earlier bedtimes a week or two before your children return to school will help them transition into their usual routine and increase the chances of them getting a good night’s sleep. Having a good routine in place to help them wind down, such as reading them a bedtime story or tucking them in at a certain time, can be extremely beneficial.
Preparing for First-day Nerves
Whilst some children are nothing but excited to get back to school, for others, returning back after time away from classmates and teachers can feel overwhelming, particularly if they are joining a new school or moving from infants to juniors.
If this is the case for your child, it’s important that their feelings are validated and that they feel heard and understood. It can be good to remind your little one that adults and teachers can also feel these nerves to help them feel less alone in any anxieties.
Let your child get things off of their chest and express their thoughts and feelings with you. You can relate to them by telling them stories of similar experiences you’ve had and how you dealt with them. If they’re nervous about any particular situation, such as speaking to a specific person, you can talk through action plans with them to help them know what to do.
Keeping Energy Up with Nutritious Food
Setting your child up for the day with a filling breakfast is vital to their learning and concentration throughout the day. When making breakfast for your little one, and also if they’re taking a packed lunch, you should aim to include a variety of healthy foods based around fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains to keep them full and support their concentration.
Ashbridge Independent School pupils and parents can access our wraparound care service at no additional charge or with no prior booking. Children in wraparound care before school will be provided with a nutritious bowl of porridge to set them up for the day. Also included in our school fees, all Ashbridge pupils are provided with a healthy, hot lunch to keep them full for the rest of the school day. Our rotating school menu contains a tasty selection of nourishing and balanced meals.
Making a Space for Homework
Creating a dedicated homework space can be a fun way to encourage your child to enjoy their homework and get back into their school routine. Be sure to create a space for your child that’s comfortable and free of distractions to make it easier for both of you in helping to get their work done.
Back-to-school Tips from Ashbridge
We hope this guide has helped you and your little ones prepare for a new term with our back-to-school tips.
Ashbridge Independent School is situated on 11 acres of land in rural Preston. We take an all-encompassing approach to our pupils’ education through our thorough TAPESTRY curriculum, with a strong emphasis on outdoor learning.
As part of our school ethos, we endeavour to give your child the best possible start in life. We provide smaller class sizes for tailored and interest-led teaching, a wealth of extracurricular activities such as residential school trips and a determination to foster a compassionate, inquisitive, and confident nature in your child. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like to know anything more about our school or enrol your child online with our simple online form.
