Back to School – Are you ready?

Dear friends ~

It is hard to believe that school will begin again in just 3 weeks for my 2nd-grader, and I know of some schools that will begin even sooner! We just returned from a 2 week vacation, which is making us feel especially crunched for summer break time, and I’m not feeling confident that my son will be ready to hit the books again in just a few short weeks. Getting up early is not the problem – he already wakes up before 6 a.m. on his own – but getting up and moving quickly through the morning routine will take some getting used to. I think that I will try to re-instate our rule that everyone must be dressed and have their teeth brushed/hair combed before breakfast, as well as having their bed made and room generally in order.

Sitting still for prolonged periods of time will also take some getting used to after an active and unstructured summer, so I am making sure that we take some time every day to sit at the desk. For the first time ever, I bought one of those Summer Bridge activity books – I think that it is just the right amount of mental stimulation to keep the wheels turning. While I think that it is VERY important to keep up the habit of reading during the summer months, I have never been a huge fan of doing work books during the summer months. However, I’ve started to realize that each child will need something different when it comes to summer vacation: My son does a great job of playing on his own when he gets to choose the activity himself, but can have a hard time following directions when the activity is someone else’s idea (i.e. the teacher!). Therefore, it is important for him to have a chance to practice following directions over the summer months, otherwise the transition back into the school year will be a nightmare. On the other hand, my daughter craves the structure of the school year, and does very well in a classroom setting. Therefore, it is important for her to have some time over the summer months to practice entertaining herself, even though I do try to make sure that she has the amount of structure that she needs in order to function well. We have tried to have a quiet time every afternoon, which is easy for my son and torture for my daughter 🙂 It has been very interesting to watch how each child’s personality has developed in similar and different ways over the years!

How are you preparing for the school year? Do you think that your family is ready, or are you wishing for a few extra weeks of summer vacation like me?