[PLANNING/PARENTING] Five Step Back to School Plan✏️

The first day of school is two weeks away which gives you just enough time to implement my 5-step back-to-school plan.

Listen/watch the full podcast here: https://bywdreams.mailerpage.com/116

Step 1: Start waking your kiddo up earlier. If your kiddo is like mine, they have been sleeping in this summer. I start waking her up 10 minutes earlier each day so that she's ready for her 6:30am wake-up time by the time school rolls around. I give her an extra incentive by promising her a special breakfast the day before school if she keeps it up. By the way, I don't make her get out of bed, she just needs to be awake, so she often just spends those earlier moments reading in bed.

Step 2: Get your Kiddo Oriented to School: Maybe your school has a summer (sometimes called "bridge") program, or they might offer and orientation or tour for new students. If these options aren't in place, give the office a call and ask if you can walk around the campus with your kiddo so they can see where their classroom(s), cafeteria, gymnasium, etc. are located.

Step 3: Combination Lock. If your kiddo will have a school locker, grab a combination lock and show them how to use one. It took mine about five minutes to get the hang of it and she said she was grateful to not have had to figure that out on her first day of school.

Step 4: Get Back to School Clothes for FREE (or inexpensively). My first move is to ask my Buy Nothing Group for clothing a couple of weeks before school starts. If you aren't in your local group yet, find it on Facebook. It's a hyperlocal way to receive and gift things that others/you don't need. In the five years that I've been a member, I've purchased only the bare minimum of clothing for my kiddo such as underwear and tennis shoes. If we don't find what she needs on the BN group, we shop at thrift stores or clothing swaps. If you don't have a BN in your area, consider starting one or host a clothing swap!

Step 5: Have your Kiddo Pack What they Need the Night Before. If you're going to the beach, have them pack a towel, sunscreen, hat, sunshirt in a bag and leave it by the front door. Do that every night before school starts to get them in the habit of having their school supplies ready the night before.

Listen/watch the full podcast here: https://bywdreams.mailerpage.com/116

Next week's topic (8/7/25): Control What You Can and Let Go of the Rest

8/14/25 topic: Book Summary "The Dueling Neurosurgeons"

My website: http://BYWDreams.com

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