Prepping for back to school..
I’m not sure how I feel about the start of this school year. My son is starting second grade at a new school which was the plan all along. Then COVID happened and now return to school looks very different for so many of us. In our county we were able to choose how we wanted to go back. We decided to have our son stay home and do virtual learning for the first nine weeks. Sounds great and everything until I think back to March and April when we did virtual for the first time. There were a lot of tears and struggles to stay focused and get through the work.
Knowing this is the plan ahead of time how can we prepare now? We decided to start tutoring this summer which has really helped! Our son does two days a week 30 min a session with a virtual tutor. She is absolutely wonderful! They spend one session on creative writing and reading, and the other session on math. We have also been working our way through the Summer Brain Quest! I highly recommend this serious of workbooks. Vibrant colors and a progress map with stickers. It has been very engaging.
We are all doing our very best for our families and that will look different across the board. My best advice is to find a way to engage your kids in learning now. Pick a book and read together, start a summer workbook, try tutoring if you think outside help would work best, have fun and try new things together. Many of us, myself included, are not teachers and never imagined homeschooling. Because of this we need to be flexible and patient. These are two traits that we want our children to learn from us anyways! Think of the strong human beings we are raising and how this time will help strengthen their character and ours.
We are all in this together! You are not alone. Remember to ask for help when you need it and lean into your parent circles.
Top Tips for prepping for back school:
Bedtime! Try to get back on schedule with earlier bedtimes and an earlier start to the day.
Try to keep meal schedules. Three meals a day with two snacks.
Find time in the day for quiet. Give your kiddos options for this time. Reading, drawing, building legos, whatever it is keep it mellow.
Read together!! Take turns reading pages if your kiddos are at that level. If you don’t have readers yet, read to them and encourage to make up the story by looking at the pictures. (My two year old loves to do this!)
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Ask your school what resources they may have for extra help. Hire a tutor. I don't know about you, but my kids always listen better for someone else!
Take it one day at a time. Be patient. Be flexible. We will all get through this together!
