Preparing children to return to school after the holiday break can pose its own set of challenges, but there are strategies you can employ to ensure both you and your kids are adequately equipped. Photo / Getty Images
Tune in to The Parenting Hangover podcast every week, featuring hosts Jordan Watson, known as How to Dad, and ZM’s Clint Roberts. These two fathers engage in candid discussions about navigating the complexities of modern parenting. From addressing sensitive topics like sex education to exploring post-kids intimacy with a qualified sexologist, these contemporary Kiwi dads fearlessly tackle it all.
With the new year in full swing and January coming to a close, the summer holidays are winding down, signaling the imminent return of children to school.
This week marks the commencement of the gradual and much-anticipated process of schools, early learning centers, and daycares reopening for the new academic year across the nation.
While some institutions opened their doors on January 27, others, less considerate, may delay until February 7, post-Waitangi Day.
For parents who have been juggling work commitments, childcare responsibilities, and keeping their little ones entertained since a week before Christmas, the return to school cannot come soon enough.
Seasoned parents and hosts of The Parenting Hangover, Jordan Watson and Clint Roberts, share their perspectives as parents of two and three children, respectively. Despite their experience, they eagerly anticipate sending their kids back to school.
Watson candidly admits, “It takes a near-perfect parent to claim they’ve cherished every moment of these holidays and wish they’d last even longer than six weeks!”
So, what preparations should be made to ease children back into the school routine? Watson, gearing up for his seventh back-to-school transition, offers some insights.
“Perhaps we should have gradually adjusted their bedtime throughout the week to prepare them, but we haven’t. So, the night before school starts, they’ll receive a firm bedtime directive,” he quips.
While Watson anticipates some initial struggles readjusting to the school schedule, he reassures that this phase is temporary: “They might spend a week feeling disoriented, trying to remember their ABCs, but they’ll soon adapt.”
By prioritizing the return to school and maintaining a drama-free environment during the week, the routine should naturally fall back into place.
“It just happens. It hits you in the face. You might be running late on the first day, scrambling at the door, possibly snapping at someone while putting on your shoes and rushing to the car. But you’ll make it.”
Despite nostalgic recollections of shopping for stationery essentials at The Warehouse, this tradition may be fading for today’s schoolchildren.
“Many schools now offer in-house stationery. You receive a checklist, tick off what you need, and find it ready for you either through the school or a designated stationery provider,” explains Watson.
This shift is confirmed by Roberts’ mother, Colleen Roberts, a retired teacher of 20 years, who acknowledges the challenges of parents organizing stationery independently. “Several schools have opted for stationary packs to streamline the process and avoid delays or the purchase of unnecessary items.”
In other school-related updates, the modern child’s choice of footwear has also evolved. While many schools now permit trendy synthetic shoes on the playground, some institutions maintain stricter guidelines.
Roberts notes that his children’s primary school enforces a uniform policy, albeit limited to t-shirts, shorts, and hats.
“The shorts are standardized, but when it comes to shoes, children have the freedom to express themselves. There’s no requirement for black school shoes, resulting in a sea of Crocs.”
“I stood my ground as the ‘evil dad’ who resisted. My kids proudly sported jandals… until just before Christmas when they finally convinced me to get them Crocs, complete with interchangeable jewel gibbet bits,” Roberts humorously recounts.
Lastly, Roberts suggests that parents discreetly (or not so discreetly) celebrate the day their children return to school—a sentiment Watson wholeheartedly agrees with.
“Let’s be real—do you secretly celebrate when the kids go back to school? Do you do something special?” Roberts inquires.
Watson responds, “My wife Jody and I are treating ourselves to a lunch out! It’s definitely a celebration, no doubt about it.”
- For more insightful back-to-school parenting tips, tune in to the latest episode of The Parenting Hangover below.
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