Back to School Woes and Solutions

As we round up the holidays and get ready to go back to school both parents and children have a number of worries and fears.

Here we take a look at some of the common back to school woes that we all face and give some practical advice for solutions.

The School Books - Where are my books?

Most schools will give you a list of books needed for the new session at the end of the old one. At that time with the entire summer holiday ahead of you it seems like there is plenty of time to buy the books and cover them with brown paper. Then why are you struggling to do this in the week before school reopens?

Solution - It is a good idea to get the school book list from the school well before the start of the new session.Get the books and have them brown papered and set in the new school bag. Make sure that you have all the books and notebooks ready in the same week that school ends. That way it is one less thing to do in the week before school starts.

The School Uniform - Why are trousers not fitting me?

Like it or not school children grow at an alarmingly fast pace in the summer holidays. Specially boys who tend to gain height thanks to the great amounts of physical activity that they get involved in over the summers. Shirt sleeves get smaller, skirt hems shrink and pants just refuse to fit the waist.

Solution - Circle the date school restarts and then circle a date a week prior to that on the calender and mark it "uniform try outs". Get the old uniforms out and have your children try them out. If anyone needs to get new uniforms you will have enough time to shop around. Also check the socks and shoes besides any other school uniform accessories that you may need.

The Rush to get to the School Bus - Run or you are going to miss the bus

After sleeping late the entire summer it is difficult to wake up early for children. The more time they take to wake up and get ready the more likely they are to get late and miss the bus. And the more likely you are to lose your temper.

Solution - About five days before school reopens start making the children get up at the time that they must to catch the bus in time. Have them practice getting ready by the time they must leave the home. It will be easier on everyone when school finally does reopen.

The Home Work Routine - I'll do it later...

The child walks in from school tired and wants to sleep. Then he wants to go play and then he's just so hungry he has to eat dinner. So when does he do his home work? When he's falling asleep after a tiring day? Not very likely.

Solution - The best thing to do is get him into sitting down and finishing his home work before he goes out to play in the evening. This means that after eating lunch and resting for about half an hour you make him sit down and finish the next day's work. Let the rule be that he cant go out to play till his home work is done.

School Project Work - I need to submit this project tomorrow!

Did your child just spring a surprise on you by saying that he had to submit some school related project work the next morning? That too just after finishing dinner?Those last minute demands for school projects can take a while to get used to.

Solution - The last minute dashes to the market to pick up chart paper and related stationery can be avoided if you stock up all these common materials at home. of course it will help if you keep a closer eye on projects that your child had to complete and their deadlines ensuring that the last minute rush never comes to pass.