This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bright Star Kids. The opinions and text are all mine.
If you count preschool and each of my kids individually, I figured that we have survived 40 (forty!!) back-to-school seasons. That’s 40 first days of school. Back-to-school shopping times 40. Picking out first-day-of-school outfits 40 times. 40 new-to-them teachers and 40 new classrooms.
That’s a lot of back-to-school.
While most first day of school experiences at our house have been generally pleasant, not every trip back to school is equally as simple and successful. My favorite back-to-school memory as a mother is, in fact, an almost-catastrophe.
When Reese (child #4) went to full-day kindergarten, AJ, my youngest was desperately jealous of his older siblings. He wanted to go to school like all of the older kids SO BADLY. Actually, I took a first-day-of-school picture of the 4 kids in elementary school as proof of how not-thrilled he was about being the only one NOT heading to school. Instead of dealing with the inevitable melt-down as the other kids headed off to their first day of school, I had the wisdom enough to plan ahead.
While I was school shopping for the older kids, I got AJ his own set of paper, crayons and pencils. I put them all in a back pack just like his big siblings and he wore it proudly as we walked the other kids to school. When we got home, just the two of us, he was able to open up his back pack and use his new supplies (and feel very grown up doing it!). It might not have made him less sad, but it certainly kept him busy while he was alone with mom all day!
4 Back-to-School Survival Tips
How do you prepare for Back-to-school? Here are a few tips from our family of seven:
School supplies – Shop for back-to-school supplies in July or early August – back-to-school sales start mid summer and it’s definitely beneficial to start shopping the sales earlier rather than later. I’ve gotten stuck with plenty of last-minute school supply shopping and was disappointed that I had to pay higher prices as it got closer to the start of the school year. Even when I don’t have a list of needed school supplies for a particular class, it pays to buy the basics (pencils, erasers, glue, crayons, paper, folders, etc). We will ALWAYS use them for art projects or doodling around the house if we end up with extras after school is back in session.
Label everything – I learned years ago that one of the most important tips for making the transition to a new school year successful was to label everything that goes to school. Not only are kids less likely to lose a jacket, lunch box or umbrella in the jumble of other kids’ school supplies when it has their name clearly marked on it, but they are also more likely to take ownership of labeled items. Labeled school supplies and clothes are more likely to be better cared for when kids see their name printed prominently on the item.
Meet the teacher – My kids always love to meet their teachers before school starts, and so we make it a priority to attend a summer-time open house to visit the new classrooms. And I always bring along the shared classroom supplies from their school supply list (paper towels, hand sanitizer, etc) so that I can drop it off with the teacher early and avoid a first-day-of-school backpack that is too full.
Prepare…mentally and physically – Transitioning from the ease of summer to the rigors of school can be tough for kids. Prepare kids before school starts again in the Fall by going over the new schedule well before they head back to the classroom. Ease them in to back-to-school routine by having them observe school year bedtimes and wake up times. And start exercising their minds if they’ve taken the summer off…with books and practice sheets and even educational games on the computer for the last few weeks of summer.
Introducing Bright Star Kids
When you’re getting ready for back to school in the next few weeks (yes, it really is time to start thinking about back to school!), check out Bright Star Kids labels. They make two types of labels – stick-on and iron-on – and are perfect for all of your kids’ back to school supplies, from shoes and clothes to pencil boxes and back packs.
It’s quick and easy to get started…Simply order your kids’ customized labels online and with free shipping you’ll have your labels just in time for school.
Bright Star has 2 main types of labels – stick-on and iron-on.
The stick-on labels are made to withstand the wear and tear of dishwashers – they’re 100% waterproof and scratch resistant (now that is durable!). The stick-on labels adhere to most kinds of plastics and will stay in place for years (in other words, the items that the labels are sticking to will wear out much faster than the labels themselves). And this is the amazing part: when you’re ready to remove them, simply peel off and no residue will be left behind.
The iron-on labels are perfect for labeling all of your kids clothing. They’ll stay in place during the toughest washing machine and clothes dryer cycles, and like the stick-on labels, will outlive the clothes they are stuck on to! Just iron on and go – quick and easy!
Get organized for back to school with Bright Star’s most popular School Labels kit, that has all the stick-on and iron-on labels you’ll need for your kids belongings.
Put a label on it! Kick off the school year right and prevent unnecessary mishaps. Reply below for $5 off your Bright Star Kids order.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bright Star Kids. The opinions and text are all mine.
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