Milwaukee-area families are busy – and they’re never busier than at the start of the school year. We understand – many of us on the Krause team are parents, and we know this is an important time of year for moms and dads with school-aged children. Before you start to hunker down for the first day of school, take a look at these tips to ease your transition – from our Krause family to yours.
1.) Start setting your sleep schedule
For a student (and maybe a parent!), one of the worst parts of going back to school is getting up early again. Contrary to popular belief, a grumpy child sleepily eating cereal on the first day of school is not inevitable. Beginning a few weeks before school, start waking up your students a little bit earlier each day. By the time school is in session, you’ll have reached your desired wake-up time!
2.) Talk about extracurricular activities
As if homework and packing lunches weren’t enough, parents will have to balance after school activities with everything else. Extracurricular activities are a fabulous way for students to explore their interests and make friends, but as a parent, you want to make sure the family isn’t overloaded with commitments. Talk with your student about what programs they want to join before school starts. This way they have time to really consider what they want to do and you have a chance to plan the family’s schedule.
3.) Find a classroom contact
Even the most conscientious child will misplace a notebook or lose track of an assignment at some point, so establish your allies in the war against forgetfulness before school starts. Find out who else is in your student’s class and see who you can connect with. Talk to the other student’s parents and see if they will agree to help out.
Not to be forgotten, grandparents can also help alleviate the stress of going back to school for their children and grandchildren. While you won’t bear the lion’s share of the burden, here are some tips to be active in your grandchildren’s life as they go back to school:
1.) Volunteer to help with carpool
It might be as simple as one day a week – but offering to help get the kids on their way in the morning not only will be a help to your grown child, but it gives you some quality, one-on-one time where you can talk to and connect with your grandkids without distractions. If you pick them up after school, perhaps they could come to your house for a few hours before dinner where you could help them with homework.
2.) Consider a gift card for supplies
Today, parents are responsible not just for new clothing after a summer growth spurt, but in most cases, for school supplies such as pens, paper, books, and more. Surprising your adult kids with gift cards or cash can relieve some of that financial pressure.
3.) Help with school lunches
This might not be the obvious option for grandparents, but if your son or daughter agrees, you could help with weekly lunches. You could bring over one big healthy meal on a Sunday that could be split up between the kids for early-in-the-week lunches. Or, assemble a handful of little lunches in divided food containers made up of healthy choices like low-fat cheese, turkey or chicken, veggies with dip, and fruit. And of course, you can tuck in a little note from Grandma or Grandpa.
Everyone at Krause Funeral Homes wishes you the best of luck getting ready for the new school year. Know of someone who could use these tips? Be sure to share this blog on your Facebook page!