Every parent knows what the back-to-school hubbub feels like—kids needing new backpacks, highlighters and pens, different colored notebooks, the newest season' s clothes, and more. It can feel like so much all at once, but it doesn’t have to be as stressful as it sounds. There are ways to break up the process and make things run a whole lot smoother if you take just a little time to prep ahead of time. Here are 10 tips to keep the back-to-school process easy peasy lemon squeezy!

1. Make A List: Don’t just go to the store and let your kids start piling items up in the cart. This is a great way to end up feeling stressed and with a much larger bill at the end. Work ahead of time with your kids to create a list of what they need and set expectations before you head out to the store.
   
   
2. Start Adjusting Bedtime: Summer break is a great time for kids to relax, but it also throws off their schedules--especially their sleep schedule. Start adjusting their sleep time a week or so ahead of the first day of school so when day one rolls around, they’re ready to go!
   
   
3. Lunch Menu: Going back to school can be a lot of fun, so be sure to show your kids this with something fun like creating a weekly lunch menu. Give them options to choose from when packing their lunch so they feel involved and even let them help make the meals with you the night before.
   
   
4. Set Weekly Goals: Going back to school is fun for most kids, but for others, it can be stressful, especially at the beginning. To help make the transition smoother, try setting fun weekly goals with your kids that have rewards at the end. For example, maybe their first goal is to make a new friend at lunch. Once they’ve accomplished that, their prize is getting to setup a playdate with that new friend.
   
   
5. Cleanliness: Kids will be kids, and typically, washing their hands is not top of mind. Make it a goal with your kids to wash their hands regularly during school, and especially before eating to help avoid getting sick. A cool way to do this is by drawing something on either the palm or back of their hand with a sharpie marker (make it a fun drawing to get your kids more excited about the process). If that drawing is still on their hands by the time the get home, it makes it pretty evident whether they did or didn’t wash throughout the day.
   
   
6. Illness Prevention: Sickness isn’t always preventable but do your best to make sure the kids get their flu shots and updated vaccines each year. And make sure the flu shot comes well before flu season begins. Also, incorporating vitamins, healthy foods, and lots of water in their diet can also help keep their immune system stronger!
   
   
7. Emergency Hygiene Bag: This one can be modified based on the age of your child, but an “emergency” hygiene bag can be a lifesaver for your kids during the school day. Extra underwear, period products, hand sanitizer, tissues, Chapstick—these things can be extremely helpful when your child is in a pinch.
   
   
8. Emergency Contacts: Sometimes kids will miss the bus or get sick and need to be picked up early from school. Be prepared for scenarios like these and make sure you have clear emergency contacts set up in advance. Be clear with your kids as well as the school who their emergency contacts are in case you miss the call to pick them up.
   
   
9. Social Media Boundaries: Social media is everywhere. If your children don’t have access to it at home, they likely have friends who use it around them during school. It’s very important to teach your kids the importance of boundaries, and what is vs. what isn’t okay to post online. There are a lot of toxic things that get shared online, so monitoring what your kids are posting and seeing can be crucial for their development. Teaching them to say something if they see something is so important.
   
   
10. Support System: Being a kid is a wonderful time in life, but it can also be a difficult one as they go through the different stages of childhood. Make sure that your kiddo always feels supported—whether that’s through listening about the difficult day they had at school, writing them a motivational note before their big soccer game, or just showing up and showing that you care. Supporting your child no matter what is crucial to their success today and in the future, so reminding them you are always there for them is vital.

These are all just ideas and suggestions on ways to make the school year better for both you and your child, but there are so many other keys to making back to school successful. Whatever you choose to do, we hope that back to school goes amazingly for you and your family and just know that we’re here and rooting for you!