Our children work hard all year long and the blissful six weeks of summer is a golden time, and perhaps one which we remember most fondly from our own childhoods.
The summer school holidays provide a blissful respite to stop and catch your breath after an action-packed year. There is more time for playful freedom, and less time spent running around thanks to no after-school activities or weekend sport for six weeks.
We like to get prepared early so that we can enjoy the whole long (hopefully hot) summer with our children without the worry of going back to school looming over us. With that in mind, here are the five back-to-school hacks we like to do at the start of the summer holidays to get ready for school.
Five Back-To-School Hacks
1. Uniform Check
The school uniforms get a real grilling each year as a result of constant laundering, so when the school year ends it’s a good idea to audit your uniform stocks and make sure you’ve got everything you need for September. Check that the uniforms and school shoes still fit each child well (and room for growth), mend any items that need repair and make a list of any new school uniform items you’ll need to buy. Most schools sell second-hand uniforms and the trick is to buy the next size up in the middle of the school year, rather than compete with everyone else at the end or beginning of the year. Don’t forget socks!
2. School Supplies List
Getting fresh school stationery, each year can add up quickly. Pens, pencils, erasers, calculators, books, rulers… the list of school supplies for children is endless. Make sure you hold onto any stationery your child brings home at the end of the year and recycle it where possible. Assessing the stationery early in the holidays means that you can feel organised and know what you do and don’t have when September rolls around all-too-quickly. Check with your child’s teacher what new items he/she might need (protractors/compasses/iPads?!) which weren't required in previous years so that you can be sure that you have all the stationery boxes ticked and don’t have to worry about it for the duration of the summer.
3. Lunchboxes and Drink Bottles
Tupperware lids are elusive creatures… one minute they’re there, the next they’re gone. Who knows where they end up!? Probably in the same place as the missing socks… At the end of the school year it’s a good idea to take stock of what you have in the lunchbox cupboard and discard/find new uses for any incomplete sets and deep clean the rest. Drinks bottles can get a little grubby so make sure they are all clean and in working order too.
4. Label EVERYTHING
Labels are a parent’s best friend, so don’t be afraid to invest in a set of naming labels that will keep things coming home. Label bags, books, pencils, pens, rubbers, shoes, socks, bags, lunch boxes – in fact, just label absolutely everything. A well-labelled item will be easily found, recognised and returned to the school/owner meaning that you won’t have to fork out for costly replacements. Our school name labels come in a wide range of colours, fonts and designs to ensure that your value-for-money name labels are as individual as your child. Personalise sports kits, bags, shoes, calculators and books with our easy-to-use name labels to ensure your child doesn’t come home lamenting another lost item again. Shoe labels are a complete god-send too and no back-to-school checklist is complete without them.
5. Schedule
Many adults and children have different schedules during the summer holidays than they do during the school year. Bedtimes and wake-up times creep later as a result of the late sunny evenings and sense of freedom. Two of the biggest keys to a student’s success, though, are getting enough sleep and sticking to a consistent routine so have a think about that when planning your summer adventures. This is especially true towards the end of the holidays when you’ll want to get back into some kind of school-influenced early night routine before going back to school in September.
Now relax and enjoy!! That’s the main reason of summer holidays after all. Relax and recharge your batteries, enjoy the longer summer days with bike rides or family walks… get outdoors and enjoy each other. The summer holidays will zoom by faster than you think!