It's Almost A New School Year and I Want to...

Photo by Oleksandr P on Pexel

Make sure my child has a successful year. Better manage my and my family's schedule. Feel less stressed this year and not overworked. The list can go on and on.

The start of the school year can bring many conflicting feelings from both children and parents. Feelings of happiness and relief related to having the children back in a routine. Dread and sadness at the thought of Summer being over and realizing that homework and after school activities are going to start up again, are just a few of the emotions that can present themselves.

Regardless of how you are feeling about the school season beginning again, I want you to know that having conflicting feelings is normal this time of year and our kids certainly will experience the same.

So, in this month's blog, I want to highlight a few ways you can increase the chances of a successful start to the school year and hopefully throughout. 

In order to increase your chances of success during this school year, consider the following:


1) Take time to reflect - take time, before school starts, to review the things that went well last year and the things that went not so well. Did you come up with a system or routine that helped you and the family get out of the door on time? Did you finally figure out what snacks, food, clothing worked best for your child(ren)? 


If so, make sure to use those strategies/systems again. If your child is new to school this year, chances are you will have a learning curve. Speaking with other experienced parents about how they manage their schooltime routine can certainly reduce that learning curve. I would also direct you to this blog post about understanding your child's sensitivities and how that can impact a great school year. 


2) Devise Your Plan - figure out what your routine should look like in the morning and the evening. In other words, what time do you need to be out of your home to get your child(ren) to school on time? From there, identify how much time your child typically needs to get ready in the morning. Are they early risers? Resisters to getting out of bed? Procrastinators to getting dress? Depending on the day and time of year, they may be all of the above.

Based on what you identify about their habits, figure out how much time you need for them to get situated and identify the time you need to wake them up. This can also let you know, based on how many hours of rest they need, what time they should be falling asleep. 


Which leads me to my next point. With regard to the evening routine - ask yourself these questions: do they avoid going to bed? doing homework? eating their meals?

Do you have a time by which you want them to be in bed, so that you can honor what you need at night?

For those of you who know me, you know sleep is high on my priority list for children and adults. Without it, we might as well be zombies. Identifying what time your child(ren) needs to be in bed in order to wind down and get sufficient rest is, in my opinion, pivotal to setting the stage for a successful day the next morning. Read this post to learn about common sleep troubles adults have. 


 3) Involve Your Child - getting your child's feedback about what they liked last year, what they didn't like about last year and what they are looking forward to this year can be helpful to a great start to the school year.

Did they like when they had a particular snack in their lunchbox? Are they looking forward to seeing friends/teachers they missed? Are they looking forward to wearing their new backpack or using their new books/pencils? Tap into their joy and excitement by asking them about such things. Doing so can increase levels of excitement as well as "buy-in" to what you are hoping to accomplish this school year. 


4) Make time for their Feelings - Aside from happy feelings, you may also hear about the things they are scared of or worried about when they return to school. "Friends" that were mean, teachers that they didn't get along with, etc. Don't be afraid to start this type of conversation as it can lead to some wonderful opportunities for you to be able to support them emotionally. It also makes for a good time to remind them about what they got through and that you will be there to help them. Read my post from last year to learn about managing back to school feelings. 


5) Enjoy the Last Days before School - after you have reflected and devised a plan, or some sort of plan, be sure to make the most of the last couple of weeks. Did you have something you wanted to do but didn't get around to do it?


I know for me, I spent most of my summer working while my daughter was at camp. The last week before school starts, I'm going to prioritize playing with all the toys she has been asking me to play with, going to the pool and spending time with family. Am I cramming it in out of guilt? Honestly, mom-guilt always creep in a bit, but it is something I planned for because I had devised my plan for how the Summer would go based on the reflection I did at the start of the Summer. ;)


So, go out there, reflect, devise your plan, get your child's input and arrange for some time in the sun or whatever else you want to do. 


If you need some guidance on how to play or what games to play with your child, check out my posts below. 

How Can I Have More Fun Playing Board Games with my Child?

How Can I Show Love to My Child? Engaging Games  

How Can I Show Love to my Child? Handclapping Games 

How Can I Show Love to My Child? Affirming your child
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Thank you for reading! If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. ​

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Christine M. Valentín is a Registered Play Therapist™ who helps children 3-8 manage their emotions, Parents- improve their parenting skills and Adults - reduce their worry about an aging parent. As a Latina therapist, with 14  years of private practice experience, Christine loves helping people become a more confident version of themselves and develop better relationships within their family. To read her other blog posts, click here. Christine is also passionate about educating parents and mental health professionals. To learn about upcoming workshops, click here.