After a summer full of sun, fun and different schedules it might be hard to get back into your school year schedule. Now is a great time to start preparing for the first day of school. Whether children are excited or nervous about their first day, getting into a routine is a great way to start setting the foundation for a great school year. Read on for tips and activities to prepare before that first day of school.
*Some resources are available in English and Spanish and are marked with (ENG/SPAN).
Tips and Resources for a successful return to school:
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood: "The Morning Routine":
Teach kids the morning routine song so that they will not forget the essential steps to get ready for each day.
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "When We Do Something New" Song and Activities:
Teach kids to deal with new experiences that may worry them and to feel less scared and more prepared for them.
Back-to-School Packet: PreK and K:
Activity packet that discusses morning routines, healthy eating choices and social emotional learning to help children get prepared for the upcoming school year. ENG/SPAN
Back-to-School Packet: 1st and 2nd Grade:
Activity packet that contains activities about showing kindness, how to be a good friend and social emotional learning. ENG/SPAN
Super Snack Tips for Road Trips With Kids:
Article that gives tips and ideas for snack ideas using the episode “The Wombats Family Road Trip” to help give ideas about what to pack and encouraging your child to try new things. This article also contains snack ideas such as mini pizza, muffins and dried fruit. Not only can these snack ideas be good for road trips, but also for childrens commute to and from school.
Simple Strategies to Help Your Child Manage Anxiety:
Article that discusses strategies to help your child manage anxiety through talking your child through what might occur, explaining why one might feel anxious and allowing your child to bring a favorite item to soothe. The article also gives strategies on how to support your child if they continue to worry such as by validating your child's feelings, taking deep breaths and writing or drawing anxious thoughts.
Following a Bedtime Routine | Rosie's Rules | PBS LearningMedia
Lyla in the Loop episode and activities that can help children to understand how having a routine can help to achieve a goal. Contains a lesson plan, all about my family booklet, storytelling set and a puppet theater. Parents can use these resources to help children create an at home routine.
Operation: Rise and Shine | Lyla in the Loop | PBS LearningMedia
Lyla in the Loop episode and accompanying printable activities that are designed to help with children's critical thinking films and creative problem solving skills. The Lyla in the Loop episode “Operation: Rise and Shine” where Lyla and her siblings are continually late for school for different reasons, each unique to each of them. In order to be on time Lyla and her siblings work together to identify points where each of them encounters problems and brainstorm alternate approaches to address them. ENG/SPAN
Learn STEM with Stu! | Lyla in the Loop | PBS LearningMedia
Lyla in the Loop activity cards that are STEM related and printable activity mat (ENG/SPAN) to help plan weekly tasks and/or to draw and color on. Can help prepare children for the upcoming school year.
PBS Kids: Creating Daily Routines for Kids
Activity packets for ages 2 to 8 years old with household chore checklist, making a “plan your day” book, a healthy habits chart and practicing good hygiene. Can help children get prepared for the upcoming school year through morning and nightly routines.
Back-to-School Planner and Checklist | PBS KIDS | PBS LearningMedia
Resource packets for families that contain Learn at Home checklist, Back to School checklist, first week of school resource and lunch notes for children. Helps children get prepared for the beginning of the school year and creating a checklist. ENG/SPAN
Out of Order Routines | Donkey Hodie | PBS LearningMedia
Donkey Hodie episode and accompanying activity to help children build resilience and foster skills for adapting to changes. Activity contains teacher lesson plan and activity for creating a classroom routine and then having students to rearrange it. This resource can also be used at home to allow children to practice adapting to changes. ENG/SPAN
Donkey Hodie OOOR Final Lesson Plan (pbslearningmedia.org)
Activity that allows children to discuss a time in which their routine had changed and how they handled it. The activity allows children to first discuss, then watch an accompanying video and finally both explore as a group and independently to help students with out of order routines. Educators and parents can use this both to prepare for situations in the classroom or overall.
Preparación para el Kindergarten: Crear destrezas socioemocionales
Recursos para padres para ayudar sus ninos que estan preparando para ir a Kindergarten. Padres puede ayudar a ensenar sus hijos con habilidades socioemocionales. Unos cosas que puede hacer es practicando a turnarse, controlando los grande sentimientos y ser independiente.
Back to School Resources from PBS PARENTS
Explore different topics, such as coping with back-to-school anxieties and emotions, creating daily routines, and tackling common situations that arise with the start of school. Ease the transition with some fun lunch box or after school snacks and downtime activities.