Summer is almost over!
Are you helping to prepare your
child for the adjustment back to school?
Back to School Tips
1.) Manage Screen Time
As the summer progresses, the novelty of the season wears off and you’ll notice that your child will seem increasingly bored. This often means that kids will spend more time in front of a screen, whether that be television, video games, the computer, or their phones.
At MTT, we believe in utilizing technology in ways that will contribute to the educational growth of our students. One of our MTT parents, Susan Norman from Baltimore, has an excellent recommendation to avoid constant screen time during the summer months: choose a timeframe for kids to be on devices each day and stick to it.
For example, from 4-6pm every day, kids can be on their devices. The rest of the day they need to be engaged in some kind of activity. This ensures that the kids aren’t bothering parents about screen time throughout the day, because the guidelines are already set regarding when they can and cannot access their devices.
2.) Take Advantage of Summer School Supplies Sales
Don’t wait until the last minute to shop for school supplies!
Take advantage of the sales that many stores hold for these items in the beginning of August. If your school hasn’t released its school supplies list yet, don’t worry! This website offers lists from schools all over the state! Double check to make sure you have everything when the real list comes in, but this is a great start!
Looking to save even more money?
- Start at The Dollar Store! They often carry brand name products like BIC.
- The Krazy Coupon Lady also recommends shopping on Sunday or Monday for school supplies since weekly sales start on Sundays and inventory runs out so quickly! -Thanks so much to MTT parent, Renee Hill of Anne Arundel County for the tip!
3.) Start Transitioning Back Into Routines
This tip is coming straight from the boss! CEO Natalie Mangrum understands the importance of preparing your child for their school routine after the summer months.
As you transition into August, start having your kids go to bed 15 minutes earlier each week until they reach their normal school year bedtime. Neglecting this helpful step will make for a cranky kid come the first week of school!
Instead of watching TV before bed, encourage your children to read. This will get them comfortable with reading again after a long summer so that the school workload isn’t as much of a shock. Like we mentioned in the first tip, managing screen time can make such an impact on your child’s transition back into their school routine.
Small steps throughout the month of August will make the adjustment to their normal routine much easier than simply cutting out TV, setting a new bedtime, and getting used to homework the week that school starts.
Maryland Teacher Tutors can help your child prepare for the upcoming school year!
There’s still time for your child to work with MTT before school is back in session!
Let us help your child refresh their memory on topics that will be important for them in the upcoming year and start off on the right foot! Contact us today to speak to a Maryland Teacher Tutors staff member about the best strategy for your child.
Natalie Mangrum is the founder and CEO of Maryland Teacher Tutors. She is a reading specialist with a bachelors in elementary education and masters in education. As a parent to two young adults, and prior teacher, Natalie knows all too well the benefits of one-on-one tutoring and coaching for students. Her mission is to ensure that every aspect of MTT is done in a spirit of excellence! She enjoys alleviating the concerns of parents so they can breathe easy knowing their children are in good hands!