Back to school tips for parents (podcast link)

 Podcast link back to school tips

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SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS BACK TO SCHOOL PREPARATION

 

      Below is basic back to school tips regarding your kid’s safety:

·         * If your child works to school advise them to never take short cuts through wooded area.

·         * Encourage your kids not to talk to or go with strangers.

·         *Talk to your child about bullies and bullying, explain to them what to do if a situation arise.

·        * Make sure food packed for lunch or snacks are not easily spoiled.

·         *Teach your child/ren to adhere to the covid19 regulations at school. Wear your mask, keep 1,5m distance     and use the right protocols when you do not feel well.

BACK TO SCHOOL FINANCIAL TIPS FOR PARENTS

 

Finance has to do with managing money, saving, investing, budgeting however below are some tips on how to go about financially as parent sending your child/ren back to school.

·        Aided by the school shopping list, set and stick to your back-to-school budget.

·      It is always wise to advice your child to have a saving account. This will assist in the event where your child wants extra items that are not in the budget.

·    As a parent you should have a saving strategy plan towards your child’s education. Especially for         tertiary level as it requires tuition fees, stationary, accommodation if you are not from where the     university is.

·     Very important resisting buying at once is a wise plan as this will allow you to buy quality school items at cheaper price as they are mostly not in demand during the course of the year.

·        Check out stationary shops for discount as there are countless back to school deals. 

BACK TO SCHOOL HEALTH TIPS

 

Health has to do with the “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organisation)

·        Parents should provide and help prepare a nutritious meal for their kids to take to school with.

·       It is vital for kids to maintain physical fitness if possible as this helps the body function and process        at its peak.

·     It is vital parents strictly impose hygiene habits towards their kids daily life. Teach your kids how to     take a proper, brush their teeth, combing their own hair and make sure as a parent their kept short. They should keep their school uniform clean and worn presentably.

·       Very important parents should communicate with the school principal, class teacher about their kid’s      health status, emotional damage (rape, death etc.) to avoid panic from the school side as they will          better prepare to handle your child once they are not well.

PROJECT-BASED CLASSES

 

Enrolling them for some project/education-based classes where they learn a lot about current situations and start thinking from a different perspective can be very beneficial. It gets them in the thinking and reasoning zone without the formal school setting this makes the learner join debates forum. This makes the transition to classrooms easier.

Build good homework & study habits

 

• Create an atmosphere that is homework-friendly starting at a young age. Children need a consistent workspace in their bedroom or another part of the home that is quiet, without distractions, and promotes study.
• Be available to answer questions and offer assistance, but never do a child's homework. Take steps to help alleviate eye fatigue, neck fatigue and brain fatigue while studying. It may be helpful to close the books for a few minutes, stretch and take a break periodically when it will not be too disruptive.
• If your child is struggling with a particular subject, speak with their teacher for recommendations on how to help your child at home or at school.

Develop a sleep routine

 

sleep routine video

• Getting enough sleep is critical for a child to be successful in school. Children who do not get enough sleep have difficulty concentrating and learning as well as they can.
• Set a consistent bedtime for your child and stick with it every night. Because having a bedtime routine that is consistent will help your child settle down and fall asleep.
• The optimal amount of sleep for younger children is 10-12 hours per night and for adolescents (13-18 year of age) is in the range of 8-10 hours per night.

Extra mural activities after school

• If a family member will care for your child, communicate the need to follow consistent rules set by the parent regarding schedules, discipline and homework.
• If alternate adult supervision is not available, parents should make special efforts to supervise their children from a distance. Children should have a set time when they are expected to arrive at home and should check in with a neighbour or with a parent by telephone.
• If you choose an after-school program for your child, inquire about the training of the staff. There should be a high staff-to-child ratio, trained persons to address health issues and emergencies, and the rooms and the playground should be safe.
• Children also need extra mural activities to keep them out of the street e.g. going for soccer practices, gymnastic, netball etc.

Transport to and from school

Parents should review the basic rules with their children and practice new routes or modes of transportation, below are the modes of transport parents should prepare for:

School bus

• Children should always board and exit the bus at locations that provide safe access to the bus or to the school building.

Private Car

• All children younger should ride in the back seat of the vehicle.
• Move the front-seat passenger's seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.

Bike

• Practice the bike route to school before the first day of school to make sure your child can manage it.
• Teach the kids of age appropriate to use appropriate hand signals, respect traffic lights and stop signs and wear bright-coloured clothing to increase visibility.
• White or light-coloured clothing and reflective gear is especially important after dark.

 

Walking to school

 

• Be realistic about your child's pedestrian skills and make sure your child's walk to school is a safe route with well-trained adult crossing guards at every intersection.
• Identify other children in the neighbourhood with whom your child can walk to school. If your children are young or are walking to a new school, walk with them or have another adult walk with them the first week or until you are sure they know the route and can do it safely.
• If your child will need to cross a street on the way to school, practice safe street crossing with them before the start of school.

Stationary

 

Stationary

It is always best for parents to do stationary shopping early, end of the year to avoid rush. The period when you as a parent receive the admission letter from the school you applied for your child, pass by the school or request for a stationary list for your grade 8 child. Stationery shops such as Walton’s have special offers that meets your budget, doing shopping there reduce stress of running around from one shop to the other. Below is the back-to-school offer from Walton’s;

·        They provide the parents with stationary packs according to the parents’ needs.

·        All stationary is packed in a unique Back to School box, only supplied by Walton’s.

·        Free delivery of all your boxes and orders to your door or buy your school packs at your nearest Walton’s retail store.

Communication

 

Going back to school after a long break is something that no child enjoys. In fact, it can be overwhelming for the children and parents alike. As the vacation ends, our attention fades from planning vacation trips to getting the children back to the normal routine. It’s less stressful and quite smooth to get back to school if it’s done gradually instead of suddenly realizing that there is school tomorrow. However, the adjustment period for students who feel ‘back to school anxiety’ should start 2 weeks prior to the re-opening of the school. During this time, it’s the best to calm them down by reading bedtime stories to help calm their jitters. We are going to tackle 10 tips to prepare kids back to school.

COMMUNICATION

As a parent/ guardian to the child it is always best to start the year off right by talking to your child about their feelings, school, friends and teachers. They say education starts at home.

• Scholars panicky about new situations, including changing to a new school, teaching space or teacher. It is preferred you ease familiarising your kids with their new environment; visit the school, classroom beforehand.
• Tell them it is relevant to feel the way they do as they are not the only once in this situation.
• If your child seems nervous, ask them what they are worried about and help them problem-solve ways to master the new situation.
• Parents should make their expectation clear.