I remember as if it was yesterday, when I was in elementary school, the first sign of Back to School TV commercials put me in a spin; I was one of those boys who just wanted to play ball outside for endless hours and the notion of “bed times” and “school nights” was not my cup of tea. Fortunately, for a number of summers, I was in summer camp in late July, early August, and I missed the brunt of the department store marketing efforts to get us ready for school.
If your kids want summer to last forever, as I experienced many years ago, there are a number of things we can do to help them with the transition back to school. I have found the following ideas useful as we hit the dog days of August and look toward the first day of school: Consider the following …
1. Kids do best with consistency and predictability; start the earlier bed times now so when school starts, you already have a pattern. Also, consider doing a number of the school-schedule activities like breakfast, dinner, and chores on a Fall schedule, if your kids do best with structure in transitions.
2. Bring reading and math back into their lives; establish reading times as well as have your kids help you with the groceries by doing mental math (if this is within their skill set) before check out. Also, it’s a good time to review number facts in the ways your kids love to learn. There are many math fact games on line. Look at the following resources: http://www.bookadventure.com/Home.aspx for reading and http://www.sumdog.com/ for math.
3. For kids who need transition support; visit the school, the playground, and even set up an appointment with this year’s teacher (many are hanging around the building a few weeks before school starts). If you have a child with transition issues, it is worth the effort to present school in a slowly developing transition rather than moving from “cold turkey” to the first day of school.
4. If you have an IEP or a 504 Plan withiin your child’s toolkit, it would be best to review the documents with the kids, highlight the accommodations in their terms, and consider making an appointment with your child’s IEP or 504 point person prior to the first day. Don’t assume that all staff members working with your kids will review the IEP or 504 Plan; sometimes, it takes weeks or months before it gets in the hands of those who need to know these documents due to busy schedules.
5. Together write thank you cards, notes, or birthday greetings to anyone you know for writing is one of those skills that takes a hit over the summer; it is not a part of most kids’ summer experiences unless they went to camp. A sharp pencil helps support a sharp mind! One of the fun ways to play with writing is to purchase a “Mad Libs” game for your elementary age kids. Even Middle Schoolers enjoy this activity, but be prepared for content to take a swirl down the toilet; it’s always fun to see how creative teenagers can get with bathroom humor.
As your summer winds down, and you begin the transition back to school, also know that you are not alone. Our services are here for your all year long whether through consultation or for direct advocacy (many folks have meetings in late August).
We just a phone call or email away … take care.