5 Back-To-School Tips

We’re back-to-school, and school is tough this year! Whether you’re 100% virtual, hybrid, or in-person entirely, there are a lot of adjustments happening. What are some ways you and your family can get into the groove?

1. Create a Dedicated Study Space. While this can have pictures, fun colors, etc., and your child should be able to personalize it to make it fun, it should not have toys or distractions. It shouldn’t be near a TV, or in a loud part of the house, and should have easy access to all of your kiddo’s school supplies, so they can sit down and focus entirely.
2. Build a Routine. This should work for you and your family, so may look different family-to-family. Whether this is 30 minutes of hanging out, then homework, then playing, until dinner or 15 minutes of studying interrupted by chores, or something else entirely, your child should know when they should plan to sit down and focus. This helps your child mentally prepare for study time.
3. Write Things Down and Communicate. Whether this is your child putting their notes in a planner, you writing out their agenda, having pictures or magnets to reflect the tasks due for the day, or something else entirely, it helps them prepare for the day they need to create their own to-do list! Be sure you’re reviewing your teacher’s notes as well, so that you can help your child adjust to this year’s expectations.
4. Stay Organized. Make sure your workspace, if you have one at home, is clean, to model organization. Remind your child to keep information neat as well. Especially at the beginning of the year, remind your child to put out their clothes the night before, clean their lunchbox, their backpack, and their home work space.
5. Learn Different Study Styles. Not all children learn the same way, so be sure to help your child understand what style learner they are and educate them on skills associated with this. For example, if your child is a visual learner, having them highlight key information, and if they are a auditory learner, have them record themselves reading their textbook and listen to it.

Ask your case manager if you have additional questions or feel like you’ve started off on the wrong foot to help set the children in your care up for success, and they’re happy to help!