My “baby” starts kindergarten next month and he is so excited! Seeing him so excited for this new adventure helps me to feel less anxious about his first school experience. He has been involved in a lot of group classes (soccer, swimming, dance, speech therapy, etc.) so he has a bit of experience in being away from me but I’ve always either been in the audience or right outside the classroom door in case he needed me. This will be my first time dropping him off somewhere and not waiting outside the door. Yikes! I’ve been prepping him for this moment for a few months and I have a few more weeks to wrap up things before taking him to his first day of kindergarten. I’m a momma who loves lists so I have a list of things to do before school starts. About 3 weeks left…I think I need a hug!
Things To Do Before School Starts:
The list of things to do before school starts can be long – coming up with new lunch ideas, registering for after school activities, squeezing in a few more trips to the beach – but here are five things we’ll be working on before school starts.
Interviews
Kids always have such funny things to say so a Back To School Interview sounds like a fun idea! You can ask them questions about some of their favourite things to do, their future plans, etc. You’ll find some free interview printables (from preschool through high school) here to help you get started.
Safety Plans
No matter the age of your child, there are always safety plans to talk about before school starts. For the younger kids, going over safety plans for strangers, crossing the street, bullying, etc. are all important. For the older kids, talking to them about being safe online, bullying, phone safety tips, peer pressure, etc. If your child has food allergies or another medical condition, be sure to review safety plans for health as well as speaking directly to the teacher and school nurse about your child’s condition and safety management plans.
School Supply Shopping
I may be alone in this but I love shopping for school supplies like paper and pens! I love all the creative options out there for kids and I always find a few fun things for my home office too. It can be easy to get carried away so make sure you go prepared with your list of needed supplies from the school. If you haven’t received the list yet, sometimes you can find the lists on the school’s website or they often have them printed at your local stores.
Clothing Shopping
Growing up, I always had at least one new outfit that I was allowed to wear on the first day of school. My son is 5 years old and he grows out of clothes quickly so we have a lot of shopping to do before the school year starts. We started our shopping at Sport Chek this year and I was surprised at how much they had for my son’s size. I purchased him a new pair of indoor shoes, some pants and a t-shirt. He came with me so it was fun to let him pick out the clothes and shoes he wants to wear to school. It all helps to get him more excited for his first day!
Sport Chek is your one-stop-shop for back to school clothes. At Sport Chek you’ll find shirts, pants, shorts, hoodies, jackets, shoes, backpacks, water bottles and more! They have a great selection for both young kids and teens so you can take all your kids here for their back to school clothes.
Here are a few great ideas for boys. The shoes at the top of this collage are the ones I purchased for my little guy.
Here are a few great ideas for girls. I was tempted to buy myself some new clothes too! Do you ever buy yourself new clothes for the back to school season? I think I’m going to this year!
Labels
Once you have all those stylish new clothes and cool school supplies, you’ll want to remember to label everything. We used personalized labels from Mabel’s Labels this year. I made sure that my son was there to help me label everything so he learns how to recognize his name in print and can see what his supplies look like.
Are you ready for the back to school season? Do you have any tips for getting your kids ready for school? Feel free to share your expertise in the comments below!
*Disclosure: I was compensated for this post; however, all opinions expressed here are my own.