The goal of any parent is to help their child have a successful school year, and one of the best ways to do this by being organized and on top of everything that happens in the home and classroom. From establishing routines to instilling good study habits with the use of modern technology, parents and children will succeed at handling the day-to-day struggles of being back in a school environment.
Instituting Routines
Establishing routines at home will lead to a better school day for most children. This typically begins with waking up in the morning and ending with going to bed at night. For most children, mornings need to run smoothly in order for the rest of the day to fall into place. This normally includes:
- Establishing a wake-up time that gives both parent and child enough time to get ready and eat a healthy breakfast
- Getting out the door at an appropriate time that allows for any mishaps including traffic or inclement weather
- Setting up a homework schedule after school
- Allowing for outdoor play so children can release any excess energy
- Setting a time for dinner, baths and bedtime routines
- Getting to bed at a time that allows for the right amount of sleep for you and your child
Other tips include making lunch the night before, setting out clothes and shoes for the next morning and placing packed backpacks, shoes, jackets, etc. by the door the night before.
Eating Healthy at School
Most kids love to buy school lunches, but often they aren’t healthy or affordable. Here are some tips to make sure your kids are getting all their nutrients while they are at school:
- Purchase the right supplies such as a divided lunch container, thermos, ice packs and insulated lunch box/bag
- Consider alternatives to traditional PB&Js. Try egg salad, pesto or tomato sandwiches, as well as peanut butter and honey or hummus and cheese.
- Switch up from using regular bread to buying pitas, whole wheat waffles or even whole grain tortillas
- Pack warm soup, hot chocolate or pasta in a thermos
- Get creative and add thoughtful notes, fun-shaped food or cute toothpicks or forks to your child’s lunch.
It’s All About Having the Right Gear
Start the school year with the right gear. This will not only get them excited but moving in the right direction each day too:
- Lighten your child’s load by purchasing a rolling backpack instead of the kind that hangs on his or her back. Besides being a heavy burden to carry, it can also lead to back or neck problems later. Rolling backpacks are a great alternative because they are not only lightweight, but they have retractable and smooth wheels.
- Waking up for school may be tough, but you can ease your child into the day with an iHome Alarm Clock. It can connect your iPhone or iPod over to streaming music after the alarm goes off, and its detachable K-CELL battery can be ejected and used as backup power for your phone.
Bringing Technology into the Learning Process
As many classrooms move into 21st century learning, having a tablet or its equivalent is becoming the norm. To help your child with what seems like the future of education, consider purchasing one of many budget-friendly tablets available. The benefits of tablets include:
- Being able to take notes, read textbooks, watch relevant videos and conduct research
- Take the tablet anywhere as it is transportable
- Conveniently using it to promote active learning
- Using it to for networking with other students
- It is less expensive than a laptop or desktop computer
Even if your child doesn’t use a tablet in school yet, it’s not a bad idea to purchase one and let them practice on it at home. Besides being affordable, tablets also have some of the best mobile processors, like Snapdragon processors. These processors mean your device will have a strong speed connections, high-speed processing and life-like graphics. So whether your child is in elementary, middle school or high school, tablets are a great piece of technology that they’ll most likely encounter in the classroom at some point.
Whether your child is already in school, or is heading back anytime now, it’s important that you set them up to have a successful school year. So start establishing routines, find some fun and healthy snack ideas, supply them with the necessary school gear, and get them familiar with the technology they’ll be using every day. It’s time to see your smart cookies flourish at school.
– By Jennifer Thayer
Jennifer Thayer is a technology writer who is passionate about exploring new ways technology can be used to make day-to-day tasks easier. Follow her on Twitter.
