A few years ago I took my two young children back-to-school shopping just a week before the big day. We had a mile-long list of supplies and clothing to buy and three stores to hit.
It was tax-free weekend in Missouri, and I thought by leaving the house fairly early in the morning we would beat the rush.
Well, evidently I wasn’t the only one who had that thought. The stores were absolutely packed with harried parents, whiny kids and overflowing shopping carts blocking the aisles.
When we arrived home hours later, the kids were having meltdowns, we were still missing a few items on our list and I was beyond stressed. “Never again!” I vowed.
Since that nerve-racking day, I have avoided tax-free weekend, deciding that saving a few bucks is not worth losing my sanity. However, I still tend to wait until the eleventh hour to finish our to-do list before the new school year begins.
Do you also feel the stress of back-to-school time? Are you scrambling around in the days prior to that first bell, searching for the right pencils and the kids’ immunization records?
If so, here is a guide to help you space out those tasks in the weeks leading up to the big day.
One Month Before School Starts
- Make appointments. Book all the checkups your child needs: doctor, dentist, optometrist, etc. Be sure your child’s immunizations are up-to-date now.
- Purge time! Now is the time to organize closets, donate old clothes, toss or file last year’s school papers and get rid of the used-up glue sticks and such that your kids toted home in May.
- Go shopping. Choosing new clothes now ensures that the selection won’t be picked over and stores won’t be too crowded.
- Register. Many school districts, including the Blue Valley School District, offer online registration. If your school doesn’t, find out when open enrollment is, where you need to go and what paperwork you need.
Three Weeks Before
- Buy supplies. Most districts post supply lists on their websites. Figure out which items you need to buy and do it now so you won’t be traveling to Timbuktu to find a specific brand of glue come mid-August.
- Organize at home. Create a homework center for your children and fill a caddy with plenty of pencils, erasers and rulers. Assign a bin or drawer for this year’s school papers and artwork.
- Confirm fall childcare. If your kids will need childcare before or after school—whether through the school, a center or an individual—verify their registration and make sure all paperwork is signed.
Two Weeks Before
- Get on a schedule. Tracy Sample, principal at Lee’s Summit Elementary, says, “Two weeks out, kids need to start following their school routine in regard to sleeping, eating and taking medication.”
- Get haircuts. Now’s the time to trim those locks, before the stylist gets backed up. Also, if she nicks those bangs a little too short, they’ll have time to grow out a bit before the big day.
- Confirm transportation. Go over bus routes, make a test run of the drive to a new school or verify carpool schedules.
- Update your calendar. Mark half days, holidays, school breaks, sports practices and after school care on the family calendar for everyone to see. Remember to request off days at work if needed.
One Week Before
- Visit the school. Most schools host a back-to-school night around this time. Your child can use this opportunity to meet his teachers, familiarize himself with the school and ease any anxiety by having his questions answered.
- Make a school year schedule. Sit with your children and brainstorm home routines. When will they do homework and chores, practice sports, etc.? Set house rules: No electronics until homework is done, for example.
- Plan an outing with your friends. Ecstatic the kids are going back to school? Sad that your baby is starting kindergarten? If possible, arrange a coffee or lunch date with your friends for the first day of school; they will join in the enthusiasm or be a shoulder to cry on.
Three Days Before
- Stock up on food. Purchase breakfast and lunch foods and after school snacks. Stores usually have these items on sale now, and coupons are plentiful—check the newspaper and online.
- Create a breakfast menu. Choose simple, protein-rich foods that will give your kids the boost they need to make it until lunchtime. Sample menu: whole wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt cup and fruit.
- Have an outing with the kids. Ease back-to-school anxiety by treating the kids to a fun excursion. Belton mom Lisa Ochieng says, “Our big tradition is to go on a back-to-school date. We get pedicures and then pick a fun place to play.”
The Night Before
- Pack backpacks.
- Lay out first-day outfits, down to socks, shoes and hair accessories.
- Charge camera/phone for first-day photo ops.
- Prepare lunches and have breakfast items ready to go.
- Have everything–backpacks, shoes, keys, lunchboxes, camera, purse, etc.–in one place, preferably by the door you’ll be exiting.
- Review tomorrow’s routine.
- Start the bedtime routine early.
- Set alarm clocks.
- Allow plenty of time for bedtime snuggles, stories and chitchat. Kids often feel anxious before a new school year and may need to “talk it out” and get reassurance from you. Rushing them into bed won’t help their stress.
Tisha Foley's two children will be in the fifth and second grades. They make their home in Belton.