All set for school

New beginning

Schools in the city have started reopening and switching back from a vacation to a school routine can be quite stressful in a household.

Many Bengalureans feel that it’s best to avoid the ‘first day of school’ mayhem by helping your child practise their routine a few days in advance.

It’s important for children to get enough sleep so it’s good to establish a reasonable bedtime so that they are well-rested and energetic for the next day at school.

“Since their holidays are almost coming to an end now, I will start waking the kids up early, maybe half an hour earlier day by day. I set a timetable for each one of them which they must follow once they are back from school. It makes things easier for all of us at home when each of us takes care of our own things,” says Sini Alen, a teacher at Sacred Hearts Girls High School.

Eating a healthy breakfast is crucial and this practice must also be inculcated in your tiny tots.

Children are naturally more alert and do better in school if they eat a good breakfast everyday. Most parents think a glass of milk will suffice for the child until their break time.

However, Anuradha Praveen, a working mother with two young sons, says, “It is always better to make them eat a proper filling breakfast of cereals, fruits or even ‘idlis’ and ‘dosas’. A quick sandwich is also ideal because it is nutritious and filling and can be eaten without any mess.”

“I pack hassle-free lunch items for them like a grilled chicken and cheese sandwich or ‘rotis’. I also try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as possible in their diet because they are very active during the day and it’s better if they don’t get into the habit of snacking. I don’t keep junk food in the house and buy them what they want whenever they feel like having something from outside.” says Ronjana Kalyanpur, mother of two young boys, Moksh and Laksh.

With one’s own profession and numerous household chores, it is very easy to forget or not pay attention to the little assignments given to your child in school. Many suggest that it’s helpful to jot it all down to help your children remember things like their homework, assignments, class timings and teachers’ and/or bus drivers’ names and numbers. The attempt should be to gradually make them more responsible and less dependent on you by also having them organise everything for school the night before.

Remember, children will only learn the importance of what they are doing when they see how much importance you give to their tasks. So what better time to start training them than when the new academic year is about to begin!