Backpacks, Books & Stikiis!

Within the next week or two, children across the country will return to their routines of waking up early, packing lunches, gathering books and heading out the door for the 2012-2013 school year. Can you believe that summer flew by so fast? I know we can’t! This blog intends to focus on getting those kids back to school on the right foot this year – and in the right mindset as well!

Going back to school is an exciting, but often nerve-racking time for children. Helping them to transition over to their new schedules early will help them to be at their “back to school best” when the bell rings on that first morning back in class.

Help to build your child’s excitement for the new year by creating a Back to School Countdown. Check out the app called “First Day of School Countdown” (by Appracaddabra) and utilize it in your plan. During the days before school, your child will get a special surprise each day. These surprises range from animated character greetings to fun puzzles to solve!

Start slowly easing your child back to an earlier bedtime. Adjust the time approximately one half hour earlier each night until you reach the preferred bedtime. Make an attempt to wake them up a bit earlier each corresponding day as well. Trust us, you will appreciate this when your kids wake up on the first day of school slightly less cranky and tired than you had expected!

Enjoy an end-of-summer trip.  Take the kids on a picnic, to the park or the local zoo to celebrate the final days of summer. This will help your child to savor those last moments and to take their mind off the pressures of the upcoming year. Try to do something outside, because the majority of time at school is spent indoors!

Prepare for a safe commute to and from school.  Plan your child’s route ahead of time. Organize one with few street crossings and choose intersections with safety guards. Practice the walk to and from school or to the bus stop with your child ahead of time. Don’t let your child walk alone (pair them up with an older sibling, friend, neighbor, etc.) and teach them never to talk to or accept rides from strangers.

Make homework a priority, not just for the child, but for the parent as well. Help your children with their homework! Students who do homework consistently tend to have better grades and less stress. Make sure your child understands the importance of homework and how it can impact their grades. It is also beneficial to communicate with teachers. Different teachers may expect different things out of parents, whether it is reviewing the student’s homework with them or just making sure it is completed.

Set a fixed time for your kids to work on their homework each night. It should be a time when both you and the children are free, so you can help out if needed. Just keep the time consistent and avoid the end of the day when your kids may become tired. Also, be sure to pick a quiet area with limited distractions, this will help your child to focus. Provide them with the tools they need to succeed; odds are if you don’t have something on hand, you can find access to it elsewhere. Schedule regular trips to the library, help them with internet searches, make flash cards, etc. Helping your child with their homework is also a great way to spend time together and to brush up on information that you may have pushed to the back of your mind many years ago!

Give them a special back to school surprise. Kids loves surprises and back to school is the perfect time to add a little extra excitement to their lives. How about a brand new pair of Stikiis to send your child of to school on the right “foot”? Stikiis retail at $39.99 a pair and come in 8 fun colors! Stik-em accessories start at only $.99 each and come in a variety of shapes and styles, from lions and 3D frogs to letters and numbers! Our special Letters and Numbers series’ are great for helping your child with spelling and math lessons throughout the school year. Stik-ems also work great as rewards for good school performance or behavior. Stikiis are comfortable and durable, and can be styled a different way each day thanks to an endless combination of Stik-ems available for purchase. A pair of Stikiis is sure to motivate your child for the new school year. For more information on Stikiis and Stik-em accessories, visit www.stikii.com.

 

Now, before your send those kiddies out the door and off to school, here are some “Tips for a New School Year” that we are sure will help ease the transition:

  1. Designate a place in your house for a “backpack station”. Have your child drop it off in this same spot every day after school. This will give you a chance to check out the materials they have brought home, and will ensure that you know where it is each morning!
  2. A small gift or token of appreciation for your child’s new teacher at the beginning of the year may help make a good impression. A $5 gift card, some extra school supplies or even just a note would do! We need to let our teachers know how valuable their work is to us.
  3. Implement a chore chart to help remind your kids every day of the things they need to do.
  4. Organize your child’s bedroom. Put clothes in an order that they can easily choose from in the morning, or lay out an outfit the night before.
  5. Get the contact information for your children’s teachers and introduce yourself after a few weeks. A good relationship with teachers can help to ensure your child is on the right track.
  6. Designate a file/box to store papers and artwork. This helps keep clutter to a minimum, but keeps everything organized if you can’t bear to part with something! It also comes in handy if your child needs something from earlier in the year as reference.
  7. Create a family calendar that includes all school, family, work and extracurricular activities.
  8. Go shopping for school supplies together and as early as possible to avoid chaos. Use the supply list provided by the child’s teacher to ensure you get everything they will need for the year!
  9. Make sure your little student’s backpack has two straps, is durable and never weighs more than 10 to 20 percent of the child’s body weight. This can help avoid future back, muscle and posture issues.
  10. Read to or with your child on a daily basis.
  11. Label EVERYTHING. This will help reduce the chance of theft, or increase the odds of something being returned if lost.
  12. Be sure to ask about your child’s day and what they learned. Let them know you are interested.

 

We hope this blog helped to prepare you and your child for a successful new academic year. The Stikii Team wishes all the young students a happy, healthy and educational 2012-2013 school year!