Back to school!

The kids are back to school/nursery tomorrow! Well Mahi doesn't start big school until the 18th so he'll still be going to nursery until then. Nevertheless, back to school means back to school.

The kids are always ready but I never am! Another year goes by meaning they are growing up! I have no idea what this new school year is going to bring but I'm physically ready, emotionally not yet!

So how to prep kids and yourself for back to school. Tips coming your way:

1. Get uniform and bags ready the day before. It means less running around  and panicking on the morning looking for things or lack of!
2. Doing homework a couple of days beforehand and NOT the night before. That way it is less stressful for your child and you. Plus, it also preparing your child with better organisational skills.
3. Even during holidays my kids were studying. For just 3 days so their brain doesn't go all mushy and don't struggle back to school! Continue that throughout the school year! Sunday is our only day where we have no studying. Since they are still young and don't get much homework, the kids have 30-45mins studying sessions in evening. 10mins for Mahi since he's preschool!
4. I always print the curriculum for whatever year they go into so I know what to expect and prepare them accordingly. I print any free worksheets that could help them as school curriculum is not enough to get them ready for the future. And with Laksha, we want her to take 11+ exams so we can't rely on the school prepping her for it at all!
5. Printing the curriculum is also handy when you plan any dad out. With Laksha, the days out I plan depends on what she covers at school. Las year she covered the Great Fire of London and so planned a trip to the museum of London just for that! She wa learning about Henry the 8th and so off we went to Hampton Court Palace. Small trips like this enforces the learning and is a fun way to learn for the kids!
6. Talk to your children after school. How was it? What did they learn? What did they play with their friends? Don't ask them the same questions every day because the answer is going to be 'fine'. With Laksha, she loves to write on a whiteboard about her day. So I tell her to teach me what she learned and it works.

I know time is of essence especially when you are a working parent and these tips look time-consuming! But these are your kids! The time you spend with them is essential! Parenting not easy and time-consuming but investing time is crucial for them! 

Good luck and may the force be with you!