School is a very influential part of a child’s life. As adults, we often look back at school and consider what skills and knowledge we got from our time there. Granted, not everyone who attends school will end up using much in the way of what grades they got when it comes to some career paths.
However, there’s a lot that school teaches you beyond just the subjects themselves. It’s soft skills like motivation, organization, and social skills that are also fostered when attending school.
With that being said, it’s good to do what you can to help get your kids excited about attending school whether that’s for the first time or returning for another year.
Here are some top tips for getting your kids excited about attending school this year.
Find out what they love or will look forward to about school
What is it that your kids love about school? It might be something they’ve forgotten about or perhaps haven’t thought about it because they’re thinking more about the things that they don’t like.
School isn’t the most exciting or as great of an experience as others might have. However, if you’re encouraging them to get excited about the small things that they like about school, they may find themselves looking forward to going back.
When you find out what they love, look at getting out some of the study notes they made on certain subjects so that they can refresh their memory about what they learned.
Be proactive in talking about the love that they have in relation to school in the build-up of their return. If you need a quote for going back to school, then that list is helpful when you need to encourage your kids!
Get them prepared with some fun learning activities
A great way of getting your kids ready for school is by getting them involved in some fun, learning activities. Chances are, they might not have done much in the way of educational activities that relate to their school subjects over vacation. However, that’s their downtime and something you want to ensure they get.
While education is important to encourage throughout their lives, you don’t want to make it their sole focus when they need some time off from school routines. In the run-up to the school term starting, bring in some educational activities and tasks to do in order to get them out of vacation mode and into learning mode.
Take them ‘back to school’ shopping
If you’re looking to get them hyped about returning to school, then dedicate a day to take them ‘back to school shopping’. It’s something that might not be done so much nowadays because of being able to buy most stuff online.
However, that does remove some of the fun out of the experience. With that being said, go old-school and take your kids into the stores themselves where they can try on school uniforms and buy all of the school accessories such as notepads, pencil cases, etc.
It’s a great treat, no matter how much or how little you can afford to get them. It’s the day out with you that they’ll enjoy the most.
Identify any worries they may have and reassure them
It’s natural for some kids to feel worried about returning to school. Whether that’s worries about not getting on with anyone if they’re starting school for the first time, to panicking about the year ahead when it comes to taking exams.
It’s good for a parent to identify any worries they have and to reassure them that often enough, the worry is not as bad as the reality may be. In hindsight, school although it seems like everything in their life right now, it’s not something that they need to worry about so much.
Talk to their teachers about any concerns
Unfortunately, kids can be mean and therefore some children might be teased or bullied at school.
If you’re concerned that your child is experiencing this in school, then make sure you talk to their teachers about these concerns. Hopefully, they’ll be able to do something about it.
Have them catch up with school friends
Catching up with school friends is a good way to get them excited about returning to school. They may or may not have met up with friends over the vacation but it’s worth organizing a few play dates with their friends in the run-up to the return of school.
With these tips, you’ll help ensure your kids are more enthused about going back to school than they might have been beforehand.