It could the first day of school, ever, for your kindergartener, or the first day of middle school for your older child. It even simply can be the first day of a new grade after a long summer break, all of these can be a cause for concern for children as well as parents. Here are some useful back to school tips for parents and children: Timing is everything: Starting at least a week before school actually starts, start playing pretend with your child so that you both get out of the summer timings and start getting used to getting up early for school. This also helps you plan on how long you need to get packed lunches ready and your children out the door in time to catch the bus.

Finish back to school shopping early: Involve your child in planning back to school supplies and you both can have a lot of fun on shopping trips to buy all that your child will need at school. Depending on the age of the child, allocate responsibility so that he or she will start learning how to pack their own bags for school.   Wardrobe: The school clothes can be a big decision point especially for young teens who want to stay in tune with current trends. Many online articles such as Back-to-school shopping strategies… from OregonLive give a lot of back to school shopping tips. For younger children, make sure the clothes are comfortable and the openings and clasps are the types that they can handle themselves when they need to visit the washroom at school. Do your homework: From the route to get to school, to the corridors and classrooms, try to do a sneak preview with your child. Get to see all of it in advance so that your child can get used to the idea, especially if he is going to a new school building this year. In the same way, try to keep your child prepared for schoolwork, by setting him some small exercises or holiday homework to get back into the groove of doing schoolwork. Meet teachers or friends: If possible, try to meet the teacher on the first day of school to get an idea of the environment your child is going to be in that year. Another way to get your child comfortable is to try to connect with parents of children in the same class beforehand and get your children to meet up. This way, your child will look forward to meeting friends and not worry about going back to school too much. At Aloha USA, we can help to keep your child’s mind clear and interested, so that going back to school becomes a breeze. Please see our website for more details: http://www.aloha-usa.com Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/aloha.usa and on Twitter: @AlohaKidsMath for constant updates and tips for your child’s education and development.   Photo Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/7327146800/