Plan for a good start to the new school year

Preparing children for their return to school after a long summer break is something that requires great planning.

Changing sleep hours, talking to children about what to expect from the first days of classes and involving them in shopping for the school essentials will help to ease the process, experts said.

“Parents need to start a bedtime schedule a week in advance of school, so that children get at least 10 hours of sleep at night,” said Dr Yusra Abo Hamed, a specialist in public health and preventive medicine. “It will help them to be more focused and less tired during the first days of school.

“It would be a good idea if children were able to go with their parents to choose their schoolbags and lunchboxes, because this will prepare them mentally and make them more enthusiastic about going back to school.”

Dr Abo Hamed said that children should also have the opportunity to express their feelings about the first days of school and be guided by their parents.

“Explaining to them that most children feel the same and that it’s normal to feel anxious will help children overcome their fears,” she said.

“Parents need to highlight the good aspects of starting school, like how it will be fun and they will meet new friends, along with explaining to them what time school begins and ends each day.

“It would be helpful if parents visited the school with the child before school officially starts, to see the new classroom and meet the new teachers.”

As for lunchboxes, Dr Abo Hamed said they should contain food the child liked, as long as it was healthy.

“The healthy packed lunch for schoolchildren should consist of starchy carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, beside fresh fruit and vegetables, which can be made as a salad,” she said.

“It must also include a source of protein such as eggs, fish, meat, cheese or any kind of dairy product.”

Parents should look at every detail of their child’s school year and ease them into their new routine after summer