The Ultimate Back to School Checklist (It's not what you think)

1 Positive Affirmation Playlist

Out goes the old and in comes the new!  New school year, new teacher, new grade, new content, new difficulty level. With many new things, feelings of doubt, anxiety, and panic are common.

To help counter these feelings, start your day with affirmations. Research suggests that affirmations can help strengthen self-worth by boosting both your positive opinion of yourself and your confidence in your ability to achieve your goals. This short, 1-minute action makes a huge impact on kids and their learning success. Here is one of our favorite affirmations. Since affirmations are not one size fits all, it’s important to find an affirmation that is right for you. Can’t find one, create one together! 

2 Develop Routines

Routines help children feel safe, develop life skills, build healthy habits, and help parents feel organized, reduce stress, and to find time for enjoyable activities. Good routines are well planned, regular, and predictable and help minimize feelings of uncertainty. Honestly, some routines can get monotonous, so try keeping a loose routine with room for variety in order to avoid boredom and burnout throughout the year. 

For example, if part of your routine is getting to school, try playing different games on the way such as I Spy, or The Movie Game. Games always make the time go by faster. Before you know it, you’ll be at school! If part of your routine is doing homework, try completing it in different spaces (table, couch, floor, outdoors, library, etc.) The change in scenery helps to break up the monotony. 

3 Calm Down Strategies

We’ve all been there. Some days just aren’t so great. Learn/ review coping skills to help navigate and get through each problem and work through negative feelings. Practice calm down strategies when everything is “all good”. This way, when it’s time to actually use them, you’ll be equipped. Implementing may take some time, and that’s okay. The goal is to get better at coping with unwanted feelings and situations, not to be perfect. Here are some calm down tips.

4 Smile!

This may sound cheesy, but a smile goes a LONG way. Did you know that “when you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides? Those molecules  help fight off stress.” Smiling is also contagious, so when you smile, you’re spreading stress-free energy to others around. So, say “cheese” and smile!

5 School Supplies

At Teach Me Tutors, we believe that access and equity come first, thus school supply lists aren’t really on our radar. However, we understand that some school districts still require families to provide supplies. Here are grade-level specific supply lists by Good Housekeeping that may be useful, in the event that you’re shopping for school supplies. Hot ticket items are always Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, tissue, paper towel, and wine.