From backpacks to bus stops: Back-to-school checklist for parents!
From prepping lunches to establishing bedtime routines, the back-to-school tasks for parents can feel endless! Luckily, we’ve compiled a checklist to prepare you for the new year, plus links to resources to meet every child at their level.
Check off the list below so you don’t forget a thing!
Pre-K checklist
- Prepare healthy lunches and snacks, and get the kids involved in the cooking.
- Add school events to your calendar.
- You can use this back-to-school calendar to plan out the first month of school, from drop-off times to after-school activities, and meet-the-teacher night.
- Label everything, from backpacks to lunch boxes. This will make it easier for you and your child, as young kids tend to leave items on the playground or in the classroom.
- For a quick and easy solution, print these name labels for kids.
- Establish a consistent bedtime, and start practicing your nighttime routine before the summer ends.
- Get a bedtime chart based on your child’s age in this Parent’s Guide to Preschool, Part 4.
- Read with your child daily to help them build literacy skills.
- Explore proven tips for reading with your child in this Parent’s Guide to Preschool, Part 2.
- To get them excited about reading, click through our library of leveled books featuring colorful illustrations and audio narration.
- Use this Reading Interest Survey and What I Like to Read worksheet to select books that fit your child’s preferences.
- Help your new student build relationships with their peers.
- Discover fundamental social-emotional learning activities for young children in this Parent’s Guide to Preschool, Part 3).
- Make time to develop a connection with your child’s teacher.
- Learn how to forge a positive school-home connection in this Parent’s Guide to Preschool, Part 1.
- Recognize the importance of play, and use educational resources to play with your child at home.
- Make home-based learning fun with these hands-on activities, crafts, and memory games!
- Help them hone their writing skills before the new school year begins.
- Incorporate this Prewriting Skills: Vertical Lines worksheet into your after-school routine to get a head-start on letter formation.
- Note key physical and cognitive milestones throughout the year.
- Get the full list of milestones to look forward to in this Parent’s Guide to Preschool, Part 1.
Kindergarten-5th grade checklist
- Practice packing your child’s backpack with them before the first day of school.
- Establishing a nightly packing routine to be prepared for the following day of school. This handy backpack map activity is a great way to introduce the concept to young learners and help them build confidence independently packing their bag!
- Prepare healthy lunches and snacks, and get the kids involved in the cooking.
- Add school events to your calendar.
- You can use these monthly calendars to plan out events throughout the school year, from meet-the-teacher night to sports games and end-of-year celebrations.
- Set bedtimes, and build healthy sleep habits. Start adjusting your sleep schedule before the first day of school.
- Determine the appropriate bedtime for your child using a bedtime chart for ages 5 through 11. It’s featured in these Parent’s Guides to K-5th Grade, Part 3.
- Limit screen time to start the new school year on the right foot.
- Access our step-by-step plan for tackling technology, fostering healthy screen time habits, and teaching digital citizenship in these Parent’s Guides to K-5th Grade, Part 3.
- Review last year’s curriculum, and help them get up to speed for the new school year.
- Practice educational skills from the previous school year using these Fall Review Packets.
- Read through our Parent’s Guides to K-5th Grade, Part 2 to learn about math and literacy developments you can expect to see this year.
- Develop organizational systems for completing homework.
- Send your child back to school with this printable homework planner. Add it to their binder, and encourage them to fill out the colorful sections every day, empowering them to take charge of their learning.
- Teach your child that it’s okay to say no! When there’s a lot on their plate, help them rank competing activities by filling out this playing with priorities chart.
- Make time to develop a connection with your child’s teacher.
- Learn how to forge a positive school-home connection in these Parent’s Guides to K-5th Grades, Part 1. Read through tips like sending a note to their teacher in the first week, taking the time to say thanks, and helping your child be a problem solver.
- Note key physical and cognitive milestones throughout the year
- Get the full list of milestones to look forward to in our Parent’s Guides to K-5th Grades, Part 1.
6th-8th grade checklist
- Add school events to your calendar.
- Our Parent’s Guide to Middle School, Part 4 also features a daily and weekly planner, as well as a planning calendar. Plus, discover expert tips for setting up your middle schooler for success!
- Provide organizational tools to build your child’s study habits.
- We all have different learning styles! Start by exploring the ways your child retains information best using this back-to-school would you rather activity.
- Motivate your middle schooler to set intentions for their learning and follow through on them! They can take charge of their learning with this study plan template and calendar, planning template focusing on their environment and tools, and printable study flashcards.
- Practice walking or biking to your child’s school, or map out the bus route they will need to take.
- Have a conversation with your child with technology literacy and safety tips.
- Explore strategies for talking to your child about digital citizenship, screen time, and online safety in the Parent’s Guide to Middle School, Part 3.
- Employ social-emotional learning techniques, worksheets, and activities to help your child thrive in a new environment.
- Middle school can be a tough transitional time! Get advice for developing your child’s social awareness, promoting responsible decision making, and supporting their self-awareness and self-management in our Parent’s Guide to Middle School, Part 2.
- Help them understand themselves and build a positive self-image! They can create an individuality map, send a letter to their future self, and complete the all about me graphic organizer.
- Supplement their learning at home with Interactive Worksheets!
- As an alternative to online scrolling, you can use Interactive Worksheets to make screen time educational and boost at-home learning. Explore 1,600+ online worksheets with instant grading features in our Learning Library.
- Get curious about changes in the school system, and start preparing your child for high school, college, and beyond!
- To help support your child with the most current knowledge, read the Parent’s Guide to Middle School, Part 1 to learn about how education has changed in the last ten years, and discover a list of the top ten skills employers seek.
Parents: looking for all the help you can get with the back-to-school prep? For a more detailed guide, you can follow along with our Back-to-school Toolkit series, a four-week guide featuring personalized materials, activities, and advice for parents of students entering pre-k through 8th grade.