Getting Kids Ready for Back to School

Love it or hate it, back-to-school season is almost here and that means it’s time to trade in the sunscreen for school books and get our kids ready to head back to the classroom. 

Of course, that’s easier said than done. 

An incoming school year comes along with added stress like getting things organized around your home, picking up any needed supplies, transitioning your child into a new schedule and adjusting your day around your child’s school needs.

Homeschool comes with even more added worries such as picking the right curriculum for your child and following the state’s requirements — and don’t even get us started on the back-to-school safety woes. 

It’s a lot for any parent to handle, so we’re making this time of year a little bit easier on families in southeast Michigan by gathering up all of our back-to-school content in this handy (and free!) guide.

Take a look to find everything from creative school lunch ideas and comprehensive supply lists to ways to prepare for preschool, how to homeschool in Michigan, tips on keeping kids safe at school and much more.

Good luck, and happy learning! 🚌

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GETTING ORGANIZED

The school year brings a lot of changes and being organized will make those changes a breeze, but it can be a challenge to wrangle the kids, keep up on the housework, get to work on time and keep everything categorized and cataloged. 

To help make things a little easier, we spoke to organization pros to put together a series of back-to-school checklists that include everything from the must-have fashion for kids this year, can’t-skip school supplies and beneficial homework apps

We’ve even got information on how school of choice works in Michigan, lunch and breakfast ideas (so that your kids aren’t stuck with PB&J everyday this year), info on vaccines and physicals and everything else you need to know. 

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TRANSITIONING TO BACK TO SCHOOL

It’s tough going from the calm of summer to the chaos of a new school year. Kids may be going from elementary to middle school or you may have to enroll your child in a totally new district away from their friends and everything they knew last year.

But even if they are just moving up a grade, going back to school brings a lot of adjustments and if you aren’t on top of creating a smooth transition for kids, you’ll be in for a tough school year. 

Find ways to get your kids in a back-to-school mindsight, get tips on calming back-to-school anxiety and other ways to help your kids prepare.

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HOMESCHOOLING AND AT-HOME LEARNING

Whether you want your kids at home out of an abundance of caution this year or you simply prefer your kids to learn directly from you, homeschooling is the way to go.

Of course, a lot more prep work goes into teaching kids from home than it does when sending your kids to a brick and mortar school. There’s curriculums to plan, state regulations to follow, records to keep and socialization to be mindful of. 

It’s a lot to keep tabs on, so we’ve compiled the latest information on how to homeschool in Michigan, tips on helping your kids prepare, ways to keep them focused, how to keep yourself calm and much more.

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BACK-TO-SCHOOL SAFETY TIPS

A new school year brings up a number of safety risks for kids and concerns for parents.

From walking to the school bus along busy roads in the morning to slipping or tripping hazards at school, and even more serious issues such as school gun violence and COVID-19, a new school year brings up a lot of things for parents to worry about.

Here, we’ve collected expert information and tips on these safety concerns and others so that you can talk to your kids about their safety while at school and send them off with confidence.

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