We are officially two days away from the beginning of a new school year. Like every other family, we have been shopping for the best back-to-school bargains and outfitting our kids with new shoes and back backs. Every school and every teacher has issued a must have “check list” of items that has made back to school shopping seem like a scavenger hunt. While it is important to get all these things before the first day of school, we have also formed a list of important back to school items – things we think are essential for preparing our family for a successful start to the new school year. We recommend that you host a “family meeting” in the next 48 hours where you can introduce these essentials to your crew and explain why they are important to back to school success.
Here now are the Todd Tami & Family’s Essential TOP 10…
Essential #1: Establish Routines
- School nights – state clear bed times and how to prepare for the next day by laying out clothes and preparing back packs
- Mornings – establish wake times, pick up times and give clear expectations as to what to do each morning. You might also want to talk about what NOT to in the mornings – your list of DO NOT DO’s should probably include; watch TV, play video games, and text.
- After School – explain how much “down time” they will have and what time homework should begin. Discuss after school snacks and when you will serve dinner.
Essential #2: Plan Family Devotions
- Block out regular time on your family calendar for devotional time and prayer.
(We recommend adding this to your morning routine) - If not daily, seek to establish at least 3 key moments to spiritually connect each week.
Essential #3: Discuss Hot Topics
- Be proactive to discuss issues like peer pressure, temptation to cheat, bullying, and even cussing.
- Talk with your kids about respect for authority figures (teachers, school administrators, and bus drivers)
Essential #4: Organization Plan
- Talk about doing a “double check” before they leave the house. Teach them to ask themselves, “Do I have everything I need?” They also need to ask this questions before they leave school for the day!
- Mark out a specific place for back packs when they arrive back home.
- Create a place for important “take home” papers. They will need to check this place while packing up for any notes or signed papers for them to take back to school the next day.
Essential #5: Talk about Technology
- Use of phones and iPods at school, on the bus, and at home
- Benefits of technology and distraction
- Boundaries and “safe” zones (coming soon…our Family Technology Rules blog)
Essential #6: Personalize Packs
- Creatively mark back packs and lunch packs with personalized identifiers. Make sure they have contact information and also bus numbers in their backpacks.
- If you have pre-teen / teen age girls you should also help them pack another kind of personal pack that includes feminine products, and extra clothing.
Essential #7: Meal Plan
- Breakfast – set specific foods that will be “served” on each day of the week.
- Lunch – print school lunch calendar and have children decide which days they will eat school lunch and which days they will pack their lunch
- Dinner – establish when dinner will be served each night. Most nights we serve dinner as soon as the kids get off the bus at 4:30pm.
Essential #8: Plan Surprises (do not include this point in your family meeting)
- Plan to break the routine every now and then by planning a few surprises like
- A treat inside their back packs
- A special note in their lunch box
- Donuts for breakfast
- A surprise in their locker
Essential #9: Friendships
- This one could have been placed under “Hot Topics” but we chose to let it stand apart because friends determine your kids direction (talk about who they will allow to influence them through friendship).
- Talk about how to be and make good friendships (we always remind our kids that to have a good friend you have to be a good friend to others)
- Stepping out of comfort zones and connecting with others.
- Avoiding the gossip traps
Essential #10: Participation Plan
- Talk about the times you’ll be visiting the school – parties, sporting events, chaperoning field trips, in-class birthday celebrations.
- Purchase a family sports pass (use outings to sports events as rewards)
Have a great school year! Don’t forget to post your comments on the website and on facebook. Please share your own thoughts and ideas as well. We look forward to hearing from you!
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for man.
~ Colossians 3:23~