Preparing for the Upcoming School Year: Tips for Military Spouses

Before you know it, it’s back-to-school season once again. This is a busy time of the year, especially for military spouses who have to juggle tasks without their partners. We’ve compiled some tips to help you get through the hectic (yet very exciting) start of the school year. Shop for Supplies Early Do not wait until school starts to start shopping for supplies. This will cause even more stress for you, and most likely, you'll end up paying more as well. Instead, contact your child's teacher early in the summer and ask for a supply list. From there, you can pick up supplies as the summer progresses and will have time to find deals on the more expensive items, like calculators and art supplies. Make it a Family Affair You shouldn't have to prepare for upcoming school year alone. Don't hesitate to ask for help from family members, who are probably more than willing to lend a hand in getting the kids ready for that first day. For instance, you might consider asking a sibling who lives nearby for help with picking the kids up from school or dropping them off on certain days of the week. Or, maybe you have a family member who's great at math and can help tutor your child after school. Establish Routines Early On When it comes to preparing for the school year, children need a little bit of conditioning to get into a new routine. So if they've spent the summer getting used to sleeping in and staying up late, it's important to start adjusting their bed times and wake times at least a couple of weeks before the first day of school. Doing so will help to ease the transition to their school schedule and will help get them off to the right start this year. As for you, consider making your daily routine easier by making your child's lunches for the week on Sunday nights; you can refrigerate them (or freeze them) and save yourself the hassle of rushing to throw lunches together in the mornings, when you're already busy enough. Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help Finally, when preparing your kids for the upcoming school year, don't ever feel like you can't ask for help from people outside of your immediate family. You might be surprised to see just how willing your friends or even co-workers are to assist you in making the transition back to school days as easy as possible. You can also reach out to your school administration when needed. For instance, if your child is struggling in a particular subject, scheduling a one-on-one meeting with the teacher can make all the difference.