Packing Schoolbag for Your Child's 1st Day At School

Confess… you are more than a little worried about your child’s first day in school - more so, if your little one is entering primary one! The dreaded 'back to school' phenomenon is something every parent with young children has to deal with. So, here are some practical tips to help you help your child pack his/her school bag for that first day in school.


Get organised
At least a week before school reopens you should have bought the new books, uniform, socks, shoes, bag, water bottle, stationery and all the little additional things (like a handkerchief or tissue paper) your child would need each day for school.

Get a little wallet or purse, and include important things like money for a snack or meal and the bus card / pass.
Write down your home address and the telephone numbers your child may need to contact you in an emergency. A card placed in the purse would be the most accessible location.
Label each thing carefully with your child’s name, class and school. Little ones are quite capable of leaving their things around!
If your child has allergies or needs medications in school, remember to inform the teachers in charge.
Rehearse
A week before school, you may want to teach your child to pack the school bag.

The timetable is a great place to start. Based on the classes scheduled, you can teach your child to pack just what is needed for each day. For example, look out for the Physical Education (PE) Class and, alert your child to include the PE attire.
Create a simple checklist to ensure that your little one can do it all on his / her own.
Remember, not to over pack and do not allow your child to carry toys to school.
Make sure that your little one knows how to open and close the bag and that he / she can do it with ease.
Take out all the contents of the bag and get your child to put it back again. Do this exercise over and over again until your child knows how to gather all the things needed for school and to arrange it neatly within the school bag.
Teach your school-going child to be responsible for all his / her belongings, using the checklist to make sure that things are not lost.


Role play
Kids need to carry their school bag, water bottle and often, a little snack box and their purse/wallet. This is quite a bit for your child to manage all alone! So, allow your child to practice managing all these items.

Give him or her opportunity to walk to the bus stop, climb up and down the stairs and even to get to the assembly area in school or to the classroom.
Remember how your teacher asked you to get the right books and stationery ready for each class? Now, ask your child do just that.


Talk it over
Create confidence in your child by going over potentially awkward situations that can occur in school such as:

Going to the toilet and washing up after that.
How to handle spillage from the water bottle or the snack box.


Reinforce
Very often, your child’s teacher will provide more instructions during the first two weeks of school. Check the timetable over and over again, read the school diary and look for notes that are sent to you. Based on these, you will need to modify your initial instructions. So, in the first week or two you need to pay close attention to your child’s school bag. But, if you lay the fundamentals right at the start – emphasising the need to get organised and be neat, your kid will be all set to cope with the demands of the school day.


Ensure a nutritious diet
You might be worried about the nutrition your child gets at his new school - since children who cannot adapt well to a new environment could lose their appetites. To make sure your child eats healthy, pack complete and balanced meals that he is familiar with. A great example is sandwich with his preferred filling (tuna, egg or cheese) with a lettuce leaf. With a healthy diet, your little scholar will have the right boost to breeze ahead, mentally and physically, in this new chapter of his life!


A Better School Bag
Buy a lightweight school bag with good support. (I've bought a SPI schoolbag for my gal)
Ideally, it should be a backpack with two straps instead of one.
Thicker shoulder pads are better.


Pack for Maximum Comfort
Do not let your child carry more than 10-15% of his/her body weight in the backpack.
Teach your child to pack the heaviest items in the center and use the many compartments to distribute the weight


Wear It Well
Encourage him/her to wear both shoulder straps to evenly distribute the weight.
Keep the straps firm, so the weight rests against the mid and lower back
If your child has a locker, encourage him/ her to drop some stuff off to lighten the load.


Adapted from WebMD – Kids Backpacks 101

Parenting tips for terrible twos

No one looks forward to the terrible twos, a developmental stage that usually begins sometime in the toddler years.

Although many parents don't expect the terrible twos to start until their toddler is two years old, it is important to note that it can begin anytime during your child's second year, and so anytime after their first birthday, and unfortunately, sometimes even before.

Characterized by toddlers being negative about most things and often saying 'no', the terrible twos may also find your toddler having frequent mood changes and temper tantrums.

To help you cope with this normal stage in your child's development, you should always remember that your child isn't trying to be defiant or rebellious on purpose. He is just trying to express his growing independence and doesn't have the language skills to easily express his needs. This can also be the reason why your toddler frequently gets frustrated and resorts to hitting, biting, and temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way.

By learning more about this normal stage in your child's development, it can make it easier to get through it and make sure that you aren't contributing to more battles than are necessary.

Other tips for helping your toddler during the terrible twos include:

*having a regular routine for meals, naps, bedtime, etc. and try to stick to them each day

*offer limited choices only, like 'would you like apples or oranges for your snack' and not just 'what do you want for your snack.' This helps your toddler feel like he is making some decisions and has power over things, but he isn't able to choose unacceptable alternatives.

*learn to set limits about things and don't be surprised when your toddler tries to test those limits to see what he can get away with

*don't give in to tantrums

*begin to use time-out and taking away privileges as discipline techniques

*provide your toddler with a safe environment that is well childproofed to explore and play in. It really isn't fair that your toddler should get in trouble for playing with something he isn't supposed to if you left it within reach.