Act now and avoid strain later on…

RETURNING to school can be a stressful time for kids, while it also bring its fair share of agro for parents too. Bringing kids round to the realisation summer isn’t easy, which is why it pays for parents to prepare in plenty of time.

Leaving school uniform battles until the last minute can backfire and there’s nothing to stop you doing it ASAP, thereby marking one potentially risky chore of your ‘to-do’ list. The same can be said for footwear and one way to lessen the shock of telling kids they must shop for school uniforms in July is by incorporating it into a day out shopping. In other words, leave it until the end of a shopping trip, perhaps after you’ve bought them something nice that acts as a distraction. Get that uniform sorted now and be sure you sew a label somewhere on your child’s uniform with his/her name. This will help when it gets lost later in the year as many jumpers and cardigans are lost simply because no nametag is attached.

Things like extra shirts, PE gear, socks, winter coats and hats, school bags, pens, stationary - these are the things that cause the most trouble during those early days back at school. Make a list of what’s needed and mark it off. Alternatively, do it all in one weekend, store them away, enjoy the summer and congratulate yourself at having reduced the stress factor.