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Tips for a Smooth Back to School

Tips for a Smooth Back to School- With the first day of school lingering in the not-so-distant future, you’re probably feeling both excited and overwhelmed. From creating healthy sleep habits and establishing a good morning routine to handling back to school anxiety and learning how to make communication more manageable, we’ve got 10 back to school tips and tricks for parents to help make this your best year yet!

10 tips for a smooth back to school

Tips for a Smooth Back to School

1.) Make a countdown- using a calendar, paper chain or white board start a countdown a couple weeks before school. With this countdown ease into their school routine with bedtime, setting out their clothes for the next day and when they’ll be waking up. It’ll be hard to stick to those routines while wanting to get in as much fun as you can but it will help the transition immensely if you start early.

2.) Keep an affirming and positive attitude- you know that your child will reap the benefits of going to school. Try to keep any anxiety or stress you may have from showing to your child.

3.) Visit the school- This is a great practice for young kids starting preschool or Kindergarten. It is equally great for children entering a new school. Map out their classes and let them try out their locker. Park where they will park and walk in making their first day of school more familiar.

Kid eating Cheerios

4.) Have an easy morning routine- Routine is the key word here. It may take a few weeks or even months to figure out the perfect routine for your family but once you’ve got it, stick with it. Write it out or discuss it with your kids to let them know how you’d like to see the morning go. Have them help you figure out what works best for them.

5.) Even better, have a great evening routine- Although morning routines help with the ease into a new day, setting up an evening routine can make that morning routine breeze by. Again, see what works best for your family. Maybe make a chart or a evening routine clock that shows what things they need to accomplish before lights out. Do as much as you can the night before so the next morning is simple (set out clothes, make lunches, look at the week ahead etc.)

6.) Go school shopping- Head to the store for their favorite foods in their packed lunch. Purchase the necessary school supplies or even a new First Day outfit. Get haircuts. Having a day with them to prepare for the new year ahead will let them know you want to make this as easy as possible for them.

7.) Create a drop zone/command center for backpacks and permission slips- Talk to your child about homework rules and where they should put papers that need to be looked at or signed. Have enough space for each child’s backpack, shoes, water bottles or anything else they will be carrying home from school so there is no frustration in the morning to find these items. Make sure they know it’s their space and their responsibility to keep their items there.

10 Tips for Smooth Back to School

8.) Make a school calendar- Add all of the Holidays and School info and hang it where your child can see it. If they join a club or sport have them write in their games or practices to let them have a little responsibility over knowing when their time is scheduled. If you have a younger child, use stickers to let them know which days they have games or practices. Starting this habit of letting them schedule their time will help them decide what is too much on their plate.

9.) Listen and be present- As tempting as it is to tell our kids they have nothing to worry about as a way to distract them, sometimes the best thing we can do as parents is to simply listen. If your child is finding school stressful, allow her to put her feelings into words so you can figure out exactly what is bothering her and (hopefully) find a solution to her worries. Spend 5-10 minutes connecting with each child in the morning or evening routine- with your phone put away. Talk about who they’re excited to see or what they’re going to do at recess. If they are nervous for the week ahead brainstorm a family activity for the weekend.

10.) Outsource your time- Know that it’s OK to ask for help. Figure out what is taking up a lot of your time, therefore, keeping you from your family. Is there a way to pay to have it done by someone else? Hire a cleaning service, utilize grocery pick up or delivery, make crock pot meals, car pool with other parents for practices. There are a lot of ways to simplify all of the busyness if you are able to step back and see what needs to be adjusted.

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10 Tips for Smooth Back to School

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Preschool Montessori Bedroom

Preschool Supplies

 

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Peanut Butter Jelly Waffle Sandwich

Peanut Butter Jelly Waffle Sandwich- This post has been sponsored by The J.M Smucker Company, Pepperidge Farm®, and Ziploc® brand. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s back-to-school season and for us that means figuring out what to add to our daughter’s lunchbox that will keep her satisfied until after school snack. Our picky 3 year old does not always eat her PB&J sandwich but if I make her PB&J in the waffle iron she can’t refuse! I’m also sure to make her lunch balanced with veggies, grain, fruit, dairy and protein. High fructose corn syrup seems to be in every dessert item and most shelf items. I make it a priority to only buy breads that do not contain high fructose corn syrup like Pepperidge Farm® Farmhouse Breads.

healthy bento box option for kids

One trick we’ve learned is to put her lunch in a bento box so each food is in it’s own special container. She gets excited to open the lid and see what treasures are in the small containers. In Japan, the word of bento, the container itself, has been around since the 16th century. The act of making a special meal with love using the compartmentalized box is what I like most about using a bento box.

Meijer Back-to-School Shopping

With school just around the corner I will be very diligent with my Sunday meal planning and prep. Meijer has our favorite selection of exotic fruits and vegetables. Each Sunday I’ll pick up our groceries, chop the fruits and veggies and divide them into food storage containers for quick healthy snacks. For long road trips we usually pack a bento box but for short trips to the park or museum we always use Ziploc® brand containers Go To Variety Pack. Our favorite is their 14 piece variety pack that has one medium square (salad size), one small square (sandwich size), two small rectangles (strawberries or carrots) and two extra small squares (nuts & granola). Being someone that does not like to spend time in the kitchen, having food storage containers that can be tossed in the dishwasher and easily stacked in a drawer once cleaned is key.

For a video on how to make a Peanut Butter Jelly Waffle Sandwich click ‘play’ below or continue down to the recipe:

Peanut Butter Jelly Waffle Sandwich

Ingredients:

  • Jif® Peanut Butter (we use creamy for her but I would prefer crunchy)
  • Smucker’s® Seedless Strawberry Jam
  • Pepperidge Farm® 12 Grain Farmhouse Bread

Directions:

  • While the waffle iron pre-heats, spread the Jif® Peanut Butter and Smucker’s® Seedless Strawberry Jam on two separate slices of Pepperidge Farm® 12 Grain Farmhouse Bread (or any flavor you choose).
  • Close the Peanut Butter Jelly sandwich together and place in center of hot waffle iron.
  • Slowly press handle down until iron is mostly closed.
  • Cook for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute or until you can smell the toasty goodness of PB&J.

healthy school lunch

peanut butter jelly waffle sandwhich

If you’re frantic with what to eat for dinner or what to put together for school lunch, I highly suggest my Sunday Meal Plan/Prep routine. When you shop at Meijer, be sure to use these special offers and your mPerks: 

  • Jif®- $0.35 off any Jif Peanut Butter 16 oz or larger 8/27 until 9/17
  • Smucker’s®- $0.65 off any Smucker’s® Fruit Spread 12 oz or larger 8/20 until 9/17

healthy school lunch for kids

I’ve always been a Jif® and Strawberry Smucker’s® girl. Isn’t it strange how you continue to buy whatever you ate as a child for your children? I’m thankful my parents fed us Jif® and Smucker’s®! What is your go-to for school lunch?

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Healthy Kid Lunch Idea

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Preschool Supplies

Preschool Supplies-This post is not sponsored but does contain affiliate links to the products that we use and love. I would only use affiliate links for products that I would share with my family and friends.
My preschool days aren’t too clear but there are two things I remember. 1. Getting stuck on the monkey bars at recess and my sister catching me. 2. My boyfriend Stevie who liked basketball and watermelon. I’m pretty sure my preschool days started my love of school. I was always excited to go back to school from Kindergarten through college. My very favorite part of school was the back-to-school shopping.

 

 My Mom would take me and my sister, with supply list in hand, to the store to pick up our school supplies and new clothes. When we’d get back to the house I would quickly lay out all of my supplies. Opening the packaging, dumping crayons into my art box, smelling the happy smell of new crayons and erasers and having my Dad come in to see all my new Lisa Frank folders.
last day of school
Right now, our daughter is 3 and in preschool at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis where they provide all materials for the children so I’m living vicariously through my sister as she’s getting ready to school shop for her second grader. I wanted to do a little round up of some of our favorite products that we have, despite not actually taking them to school. Although Soph doesn’t take her backpack to school, she has 4 that she swaps out to take anywhere we go. I’ll ask her to get her shoes on to go to the pool and she’ll say ‘One minute. I need to get my backpack and toys and sunglasses and phone.’ I wait patiently as she runs around the house collecting random special toys and her essentials for the pool. I love that she’s already got the ‘always be prepared’ part down of Girls Scouts.

Preschool Supplies
preschool

1. Unicorn Backpack. Perfect for a sleepover at her cousin’s or stuffing with toys for the pool!
2. In My Heart by by Jo Witek (Author), Christine Roussey (Illustrator). A book on feelings
3. Crayola Crayons. I buy these every year at school time because they’re so cheap.
4. Denim cap sleeved dress. We wear bike shorts under all dresses to make sure she doesn’t get stuck to the slide and she can play as much as she wants.
5. Rubber sunglasses. Toddlers are tough on sunglasses so we’ve learned to buy the stretchy sunglasses that won’t break with her need to distort them.
6. Easy to wear sandals. We’ve learned to not buy Sophie ‘dress shoes’ or shoes she can’t put on herself. Sophie often gets extremely frustrated if she can’t wear what she wants or is unable to do it herself. We have a similar pair to these that have a good solid rubber sole and velcro to keep the frustration at bay.
7. Lunch Bag. Anything that has a handle and is little is Sophie’s favorite thing ever. This lunch bag holds her lunchbox perfectly, is easy for her to unzip at school, has an inside net for the ice pack and small zipper compartments for a water bottle, napkin or love notes from Mommy.
8. Bento Box. As I’ve mentioned before, my toddler doesn’t eat food unless it’s fruit or a treat. Using a Bentology bento box helps lunch be more interesting for her as a toddler.
Do you long for school (routine) to start or are you saddened the summer is coming to an end? What are some of your back-to-school routines? Do you remember your preschool days?
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