How to Start the School Year Off Right

Summer is filled with cold watermelon, sunshine, fireworks and family time, but before you know it summer ends, and if you are not careful, the start of school can catch you off guard. A new school year brings with it much more than backpacks filled with school supplies. Here are 14 suggestions on how to help you prepare your child for school!

1. Ask Your Child How He or She Really Feels

Don’t assume you already know how your children feel about returning to school. Instead ask them what they are excited about, their fears and what they want to accomplish during the school year. Being a good listener will open lines of communication and help your children know that you really want to understand how they feel. Be understanding of your children’s concerns and try to help your children work through them. Listening carefully and attentively is one of the best gifts you can give to your children as they are returning to school.

[quote_box_center]”…we can bless one another and especially those who need our protection the most—the children. As parents we can hold life together the way it is always held together—with love and faith, passed on to the next generation, one child at a time.” Elder Jeffery R. Holland[/quote_box_center]

2. Talk to Your Child About Standards

Openly discuss with your children how to live the standards the Lords has set. This can start from at a young age and continue into adulthood. Rather than sending your children into the world to be taught worldly ideals and viewpoints, be sure to teach God’s standards early and frequently, so that when your children are placed in a situation of temptation and trial your children might be prepared and know how to respond.

[quote_box_center]”May the Lord bless us with the desire to instill in the lives of our children a standard that will always be acceptable to the gospel of our Lord and Savior.” Elder L. Tom Perry[/quote_box_center]

3. Emphasize the Importance of Education  

Education and knowledge are an essential part of God’s plan for His children here on earth. In fact thats why we came. The greatest gift you can give your children is to teach them the importance of education. As Brigham Young taught,  education “is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world’s work, and the power to appreciate life.” Share with your children the importance of school. Your enthusiasm about them attending school will influence their attitude towards learning.

 4. Prepare By Establishing a Consistent Schedule

Helping your children feel healthy and well rested can alleviate the stress of returning to school. Here are some great ways to prepare your kids for school.

• You may want to visit their school and take a tour to help your son or daughter feel ready for the first day of class.
• Establish a relationship with the teacher, if possible, before the first day of school.
• Having children set out their clothes , pack lunch and load their backpack for the following day can be helpful. Doing so will eliminate some of the stress of making it to school on time in the morning.
• Schedule an appointment with a physician to ensure that your children are healthy and ready for the year.
• Start a consistent schedule a few weeks before school begins and continue the schedule throughout the school year.

5. Teach in Your Home

The best way a parent can influence a child is by exemplifying a particular characteristic.  I am forever indebted to my parents for teaching me the importance of education and the joy that comes from being a life-long learner. I don’t really remember any life-altering conversations that my parents had with me discussing the importance of straight A’s, or talking of being a good student, but what I do remember is coming home and seeing my father reading after a long day at his job of doing manual labor.

Education does not just happen in a classroom. By my father’s actions I knew that education was important. He is always trying to glean as much education as he can. These are the things children remember. Be a learner yourself, and your children will understand the importance of education. Use the home as the best place to teach standards, skills, passion, the ability to imagine and think deeply.

[quote_box_center]”Our education must never stop. If it ends at the door of the classroom on graduation day, we will fail…Insatiable curiosity will be our hallmark.” President Henry B. Eyring[/quote_box_center]

6. Allow Free Time and Extracurricular Activities

School can be stressful no matter what age you are. Schedule time for relaxation, rest, and fun-filled activities. Enrolling children in extracurricular activities can teach your children some important lessons that they might not be able to learn any other way. This does not mean that they have to participate in every single club, organization, and sport, but allowing them to select a few activities to be involved in is a great way to help them be well rounded, and make new friends.

[quote_box_center]”Just as honest toil give rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steady companion of work”- Elder D. Todd Christofferson[/quote_box_center]

7. Put God First

Although the school year can be extremely hectic, putting God first by having scripture study and family prayer is a perfect way to set the tone for every other aspect of life. Giving Heavenly Father our “first time” shows Him that we value His direction and want to be obedient to His commandments. Gaining spiritual knowledge should be just as important as gaining temporal knowledge for every family.

At a speech at BYU George P. Lee said,”The scriptures make it very clear that you are to seek spiritual knowledge first, and then all else will be added unto you, including secular knowledge…You should know and realize that spiritual education is true education.

This counsel not only applies to individuals but certainly pertains to families. Strive to help each child grow spiritually and mentally.

8. Pray for Your Child Individually and as a Family

As a parent, remember that praying for your child’s success and happiness is the best way to aid your child. Not only should you pray for them individually but invite your child to pray about returning to school. Doing so teaches them to turn to prayer when they are in need of help. They will remember that you taught them to turn to prayer as the first response to life’s experiences.

“Think of it! The power of parental prayer! As we consider the challenge of rearing children in a world fraught with temptations, false ideologies, and materialistic enticements, do you not feel the need for guidance and inspiration beyond your human capacity? There is no greater help or strength that a father or mother can obtain than through securing that help from the Lord.”- Paul H. Dunn

9. Before School Service Project

Getting ready for school can turn into a crazy time, but take the time to look outward.Start the school year off right by making it a tradition to do service for someone who needs help getting ready for school . Here are a few suggested service projects:

• Volunteer at your child’s school to paint, clean etc. Doing so will help your child feel a deeper respect for their  school.
• As a family find opportunities to anonymously buy school supplies for those who have financial struggles.
• Bake a treat and take them to students who may be shy or have trouble making friends.
• Visit the elderly together as a family and ask them to tell you what school was like when they were young.

[quote_box_center]President Thomas S. Monson said “‘Love thy neighbor’ is more than a divine truth. It is a pattern for perfection. This truth inspires the familiar charge, ‘Go forth to serve.’”[/quote_box_center]

10. Hold a Family Home Evening about School

Before school starts, hold a family home evening where you talk about the importance of school. Teach your children about the blessings of gaining knowledge. Talk about being a good example and a member missionary. You can also memorize a hymn as a family so that when temptations arise or people use inappropriate language they can utilize the power of the hymns to clear their minds.
LDS.org states that “Prophets have promised that if we participate in family home evening, great blessings will result: Love and obedience at home will increase. Faith will develop in the hearts of youth. Families will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations that surround them.”

11. Receive a Blessing

At the beginning of each school year, I would receive a blessing from my Father. I am a witness that there is power and protection that comes from receiving a blessing. Through these blessings I could feel comfort and instruction from my Heavenly Father. Whether the blessing is administered by a father or another worthy priesthood holder, a blessing before the start of a school year can be a great way to help your child.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave the following advice and you can encourage your child to live by this motto. “Do not hesitate to ask for a priesthood blessing when you are in need of spiritual power.”

12.  Help Them to See Service Opportunities

A recent study conducted by Harvard discovered that, “About 80 percent of the youth in the study said their parents were more concerned with their achievement or happiness than whether they cared for others. The interviewees were also three times more likely to agree that “My parents are prouder if I get good grades in my classes than if I’m a caring community member in class and school.” 

Richard Weissbourd the psychologist who conducted the study concluded that “Almost all children care about a small circle of their families and friends. Our challenge is help our children learn to care about someone outside that circle, such as the new kid in class, someone who doesn’t speak their language, the school custodian, or someone who lives in a distant country.”

Teaching your children to use manners, to express gratitude and to be conscious of others through service and  kindness is one of the best ways to help your child  forever. There is a drastic need for kindness in schools. Let the movement start in your home as you teach your child the importance of Christ-like behavior.

13. Pray Always

It has often been said that as long as there are tests given by teachers there will be prayer in schools. One of the greatest tools you can give to your children is to teach them the importance of prayer. Explain that prayer can be used at any time and is not to only be utilized during the panic of test taking.

The January 1989 Ensign printed this piece of advice, “As we explain prayer to our children, we may include (1) expressing gratitude, (2) pleading for unity and love, (3) asking for help in time of need, and (4) seeking strength to resist or overcome.”

14. Teach about the Language of the Spirit

Although you cannot be with your children in every situation, one of the greatest gifts you can give to your children as they go into the world  is to teach them to recognize the Spirit. Help them to understand the role of the Spirit and how they can receive promptings when they live worthy of the companionship of the Spirit.

Elder LeGrand Richards said, “I would rather have my children and my children’s children enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost than any other companionship in this world, because if they will heed the promptings of that Spirit, He will lead them into all truth and see them safely back into the presence of their Father in heaven”

Above all, before your children return to school take time to laugh, spend quality time together and feel love for one another. Rather than being too preoccupied with your endless to-do list  remember to enjoy these moments with your children as they learn, grow and develop. They are sacred. Notice the small things.  Amidst all the preparation that goes into the start of a new school year, don’t get too busy to love being a parent.

What have you done to help your children feel prepared for school? Comment Below.