Back to School 101

(Written by Emily Thomas)

Hold onto your coffee, back-to-school season is here! If you’re sitting down to start planning for what’s sure to be an uncertain year, then you’re not alone! Whether your children are virtual, hybrid or in-person this year, everything you have to do to get ready to head back to school can be incredibly hectic. Attending school is a huge step for a child’s social and emotional development and going back to school after a long summer can be tough! Here at Napp we are happy to offer up some tried and true ways to make the transition a bit more smooth for everyone this year.

Find Your Tribe: Connecting with other parents during this time of transition is key! Building relationships through local co-ops, pods or other parent/child groups can be a great way to keep in contact with like-minded parents. Keeping up conversation or even just taking a few minutes to check in with one another helps build morale. Knowing you have people that care about you and your family makes a huge difference when it comes to your mental health and wellness while maintaining this summer to school transition.

Dependable Childcare: Using our Napp Network of reliable and dedicated sitters can bring your family a sense of relief while juggling the “back to school” craziness. Remember that as a Napp family you can put in your sitter request for any date and time you desire whether it’s weeks ahead of time or at the very last minute. Knowing that you have dependable sitters at your fingertips helps in creating a smooth transition in the school/work/life balance.

Adjusting and Re-Adjusting: After a summer of lifted restrictions it’s bound to feel overwhelming when approaching this new school year. We are all about to go head on into the “new normal”, yet again. Yes, it is exhausting and frustrating - but take heart in the knowledge that we are all in it together. Knowing that other families are facing similar struggles adjusting can be reaffirming in moving forward each new day. Reach out to your tribe of parents and families to connect and cope with any anxieties.

Take it Easy: Be sure to remind yourself and your family that this can be a tricky time for everyone no matter what, so go easy on yourselves. Allow for the breathing room of mental health days and wind down time. Reconnecting with the kids after these long school days in a new and somewhat daunting environment will help breathe new life into both them and yourself. This insightful post from Workspace for Children feat. Veronica Wallace is a great refresher on the tough conversations we are having with our kids right now.

Shortcuts Are Life: If you don’t have the energy or mental capacity to approach each day at 100% - believe me - it’s okay! Sourcing out whatever needs to be in order to help your day to day run more smoothly. Pour yourself a hot cup of coffee and browse some of our favorite sites to help navigate organizing your day-to-day, preparing lunches, setting up play invitations and squeezing in that much needed quiet time…

Arts + Play

Kids Art Spot

The Artful Parent

7 Days of Play: Printables

MOTHERCOULD

Lunch + Snacks

7 Days of Play: Lunchbox Ideas

Kids Eat in Color: Disposable Lunches and School Meal Prep

Workspace for Children: 5 Tips for School Lunch Success

MamaPapaBubba: Bento Box Ideas

Organization + Planning

CBC Parents: East Morning Routine Jar