Dealing with Back to School During Dog Days of Summer

The heat of summer is going strong and yet it’s already time to get ready to send the kids back to school. How can you help your kids be ready for school while there’s still so much summer fun to be had? This can be especially challenging if you’ve moved to a new area, your child doesn’t exactly like school, or the weather is just so hot that it’s hard to concentrate.

One of the best things you can do for your kids is to really let them have fun during the summer, but let them have a head start on the school year.

This sounds like an impossible dream? With a little planning and a positive attitude from you, it can be done.

If your kid didn’t crack a single book at all this, summer, it may be too late to ace the summer reading list.

That doesn’t mean it’s too late to get at least one title under their belt. Consider making it a family reading project and turn it into your own private book club.
Everyone can read the same book and then discuss different aspects of the story, pointing out what they did or didn’t like.

Or if you have more than one kid and the kids have different lists, are of widely different ages, or have diverse interests, let them each choose a title. Then each child can share their thoughts about their individual book with everyone else in the family.
Have a little refresher session before school starts.

If your son or daughter balks at this idea, it might be a good time to have them check in with their Internal Guidance System (IGS). Have them imagine what the first week of school will be like.

How will they feel sitting in the classroom when the teacher asks a question from the previous year and they don’t know the answer? Conversely, how will they feel when they have confidence in their answers?

Give your kid the chance to express his or her feelings and concerns about the end of summer. What does it mean to them? Some kids will be excited about the possibilities that lie ahead while others will be dreading the upcoming change in their lives.

Is your child nervous because they’re going to be going to a new school? Or are they excited and scared at the prospect of trying out for an athletic team or the school band?

Has a highlight of this summer been a new romance that they’re concerned will end when they go back to school? What about a summer job that gave them a sense of freedom that they’ll miss once they’re a fulltime student again? Was their summer an adventure that they can barely wait to share with their buddies?

Again, by tapping into their IGS, a kid can be better prepared to handle the shift from summer to the school year. Let them explore their feelings and what feels like the best way to handle anything that concerns them. Let them know you’re there to bounce ideas off or to role-play different situations. They may confide in you, but that shouldn’t be a requirement.

One other thing you can do to help your child be comfortable with the idea of going back to school is to remind them that the fun isn’t over. Talk about the positive aspects of school. What did they like in past years? Will they see friends that they missed over the vacation? If they loved their job, what are the chances they can keep working part-time this school year?

Plan how everyone can have fun once September arrives and throughout the year. Perhaps your child can identify one or two activities that were special to them this summer and you can incorporate them into the rest of the year.

When you keep a positive attitude about summer ending and school beginning, your kid can pick up on that. You can celebrate your time together and also the growth that your kid will experience at school. By listening to your kid, you can identify how to make your unique child’s transition smoother and happier. In turn, your actions will reap benefits for the entire family.