Back-to-School: A Parents’ Checklist – 2 Weeks Before School

It’s time to start preparing for a new school year. For many this is an exciting time but for others it can be a cause of anxiety. Just a little preparation can help your child make a smooth transition and have a successful school year. Here is a checklist from the search institute to help you with your planning.

Getting ready for school can be a lot of fun as long as everything doesn’t happen at the last minute! Spread out everything that needs to get done over these next few weeks of summer so that by the time school starts, you and your kids can relax and step confidently into the new school year.

Here’s your two weeks before school starts check list…

• Visit your child’s school; find your child’s classroom. Look for the cafeteria, the bathroom, the gym, the outdoor playground, and the front office. Anxiety goes down when kids get the chance to walk around a school before it starts. For those entering middle school or high school for the first time, have them walk through their schedule with you.
• Review the basics. Do your young kids remember their ABCs? Do your incoming fourth graders remember the multiplication table? Review them.
• Help kids clean up their rooms. Many become disasters over the summer. Now is the time to get them organized so that your child can easily find his or her clean clothes.
• Store school supplies in an easy-to-locate place. Families often stock up on extra school supplies because of the sales and then forget where they stash them.
• If you have a high school junior or senior, mark the dates for ACT and SAT exams on your calendar. Consider finding a test preparation class for your teenager.
• If you have a high school sophomore or junior, research colleges and universities. (Seniors should have their final list by now.) Find out when college fairs and college nights will be held at your school or in your community.

Additional Resources:
Ten Tips for Back to School Success

Sources:
1. Preparing Kids for School, ParentFurther, http://www.parentfurther.com/parenting/school-success/preparing-kids.
2. School Success, ParentFurther, http://www.parentfurther.com/parenting/school-success

This handout may be reproduced for educational, noncommercial uses only (with this copyright line). This content has been provided as a free download on ParentFurther.com SM, an online resource from Search Institute®, Minneapolis, MN; 800-888-7828; www.search-institute.org. All rights reserved.

Last updated August 12, 2020