Back to school: 6 tips for parents

August 9, 2024

8 minutes

Personal Health

The marching bands are practicing, school supplies are invading your home (and pillaging your bank account), and back to school night is right around the corner. Back to school is exciting, but it can also be stressful for parents and children alike. Here, we'll explore ways that you can support your child as they move back into the swing of things. From establishing healthy routines to dealing with academic anxiety, we'll discuss a variety of ways you can help your child have a successful start to the school year.

1. Establish a consistent sleep schedule

We get it—getting your kids to stick to a sleep schedule can feel as doable as nailing Jell-O to a tree, but we promise—it can be done.

Check out these expert tips for helping your child establish a consistent sleep schedule that will support their need to recharge:

• Create a nighttime routine. Adults and kids alike are creatures of habit, and creating a consistent bedtime routine can help your child's brain realize when it's time to relax and prepare for sleep. Your child's sleep routine should be specific to their needs. In general, experts recommend that bedtime routines take about 20 minutes and consist of three or four routine activities, such as reading, brushing teeth, taking a bath, and putting on PJs.
• Set a bedtime. Your child's biological clock thrives on consistency, and setting a bedtime can help your child's brain wind down and wake up around the same time each day. If you can, try to keep the same bedtime on weekends as during the week. Changing it up on non-school days can make it tougher for your child to stick to the routine the rest of the week.
• Limit screen time. It's getting harder to keep kids away from screens, but implementing a screen time curfew can help your kids fall asleep. When your child is on their phone, watching TV, on a computer, or using a tablet, they're viewing blue light that suppresses the brain's natural sleep chemical— melatonin. To help your kids stay away from screens before bedtime, keep devices out of the bedroom, and stop using screens about an hour before it's time for bed.
• Talk to your child's pediatrician. If you've consistently tried better sleep strategies to no avail, it's time to talk with your child's doctor to see if there may be an underlying issue. Your child's pediatrician may recommend a sleep study or other tests to get more information about how you can provide your child with the support they need to get restful sleep.

2. Create a dedicated study space

Curating a dedicated study space for your child can help them transition into study mode, and can even make them more productive while they're studying or working at home. There's no one right way to design a study space, as you'll need to consider your child's unique style and needs. Inviting your child to help you create their study space can help them get excited about spending time in their own "office."

Some considerations to keep in mind when you're developing your child's at-home study space include:

• Color: Talk with your child about whether color helps them focus. Some children do well in a bright, cheery space for studying, while others find color distracting.
• Lighting: Your child might do their best work in front of a sunny window, or they might prefer a room that's more secluded from the outside world so that they can focus. Either way, a well-lit area is key to helping your child do their best work. A fun desk lamp can give a touch of brightness to their study space if it's in a darker area of your home.
• Sound: Again, knowing your child is key. For some children, music or white noise is helpful when studying. For others, any sound is distracting. You may want to place a wireless speaker or white noise machine in your child's study area so that they're able to enjoy music or other noise without being distracted by a phone or other electronic device.
• Distractions: One of the most important aspects of designing a study space is deciding what to leave out. A clean, distraction-free desk (without clutter, multiple water bottles, or unnecessary supplies) where your child can work without other people (unless they're working on a group project or studying together) is key to helping them stay on task.

3. Organize school supplies in advance

Organizing the supplies that your child will take to school—as well as the supplies they'll use when they're working at home—can help to create an easier transition back to the school year.

When your child knows that they have everything they need, they're able to rest assured that they'll be able to face the challenges of the upcoming school year. Getting the items on your child's school supply list as early as possible can help your kids to know that they're prepared. This can work well to ease your back to school stress also, as you'll get to skip the last-minute dash to local big box stores to find the (incredibly specific) folders, calculators, and notebooks that your child's teacher requires.

It's also smart to get supplies organized at home so that your child's study area has everything they'll need to complete their work. Setting up an age-appropriate workspace with sharpened pencils, art supplies, calculators, note cards, rulers, erasers, and notebook paper can all make it easier for your child to get their work done at home. Don't forget to get your child's input on their favorite supplies—for some kids, a solid set of mechanical pencils or gel pens is all that it takes to get motivated to hit the books after school.

4. Establish morning and evening routines

Just like a solid bedtime routine matters, a great daytime routine is also important for your child's success. Setting a daily routine can help your child understand what to expect, and can take the chaos out of long school days.

A typical daily routine for a school age child might look something like:

• Wake up at 6 am
• Breakfast at 6:30 am
• School from 8 am to 3 pm
• Extracurriculars from 3 pm to 5 pm
• Homework from 5 pm to 6 pm
• Dinner at 6 pm
• Family time from 6 pm to 8 pm
• Bedtime routine from 8 pm to 8:30 pm
• Lights out by 8:30 pm

Of course, it's important to consider your child's age, sleep needs, and preferences as you develop a schedule. Asking for their input on a daily schedule can help them feel a sense of ownership, making it easier for them to stick to the plan.

It's important to pay attention to the potential need for changes when it comes to your child's daily routine. If you notice that your child's grades are slipping, for example, it might make sense to add a little extra time to the homework block to allow for extra studying. If your child seems especially tired in the mornings, you may need to make a shift so that you can provide an earlier bedtime.

5. Encourage a healthy lifestyle

Healthy behaviors help your child feel their best, and can provide them with the self-esteem boost they may need to start the school year on the right foot.

A few ways that you can encourage your child to enjoy a healthy lifestyle include:

• Model healthy habits: What you do is more important than what you say, and modeling healthy habits provides your child with a framework for how wellness can fit into their daily lives. Eating well, having a consistent self-care routine, and getting regular exercise can all encourage your child to do the same.
• Make it fun: There's no reason that you need to have your child doing laps around the block (unless that's how they love to exercise!). Instead, playing sports as a family, dancing, or going for nature walks can all make movement more enjoyable. Pay attention to the activities your child loves, and find ways to incorporate them into your schedule. Don't overdo it—if your child is new to exercise or has asthma, take your time increasing physical activity levels. Making healthy meals together can encourage your child to try new foods, and can provide a great opportunity for parent-kiddo bonding.
• Educate your child: Kids might know that they're supposed to exercise and eat well, but they may not understand why. Talking to your child in an age-appropriate way about why healthy habits are so important can help them to understand the importance of making wellness a priority.
• Positive reinforcement: Letting your kids know when they're doing a great job incorporating healthy behaviors into their lives can go a long way in encouraging them to continue. Praise and healthy rewards can both work to help your child take care of their mind and body.
• Limit screen time: It's all too easy to lose hours scrolling on a screen, especially for kids who use technology to connect with friends. While there's no reason to cut out screen time altogether, putting a cap on the amount your child is allowed to have each day can support their mental health and encourage physical activity.
• Provide healthy options: Keeping your counter and fridge well-stocked with healthy fruits, veggies, and other whole-food snack options can make it easier for kids to make choices that support their wellness. There's no need to keep junk food out of the house, but modeling healthy food choices and ensuring that healthy food is available can help to steer your child away from foods that keep them from feeling their best.

6. Address back-to-school anxiety

If you think back to your years in school, it's likely that you had some anxiety before the first day of a new year. Getting to know a new teacher, figuring out a new schedule, or even adjusting to a new school building can all cause stress.

Acknowledging your child's feelings, talking to them about potential solutions, and practicing relaxation strategies can all help to ease your child's mind about their first day of school. If you're finding that your child is especially anxious, and it's interfering with their daily life, be sure to make an appointment with a therapist, their school counselor, or their pediatrician to get them the support they need.

Evidation: here to help

At Evidation, our team is here to help you through the ups and downs of the start of the school year. We understand how easy it can be to put yourself on the back burner when you're focusing on school supply lists and the start of fall sports. That being said, it's important to prioritize your own wellness so that you can show up for your kiddos! Our team is here to help reward you for keeping up with the healthy behaviors you're already doing, and to provide you with the content-based insights you need to take your health to the next level. Click here to learn more about Evidation and don't forget to download our app today.