As the summer turns to Fall we suddenly find ourselves gearing up for another change in season, which as childcare professionals usually means a big shift in the schedule. Back-to-school is just around the corner, but it feels like we were just adjusting to sunny play dates at the splash park!
Working as a childcare professional means always anticipating the needs of your nanny kids and setting them up for the best possible success as they grow. When it comes to preparing for heading back to school, there are several simple things that we can take care of as the nanny to help our nanny kids navigate the change in schedule and all of the new experiences that another year at school brings! As with anything in this field, be sure to speak with the parents before taking any action that would fall outside the scope of your current responsibilities. Keep reading to see how you can set up the little ones in your life to have an excellent transition from summer to school!
Prepare A Study Area At Home
One thing that really gets kids excited is anticipation, and feeling like they’ve got fun new tools for the fresh experience you’re introducing them to. When it comes to preparing for back-to-school, you can help your nanny kids get invested in their educational experience right from the get-go by helping to create a special place at home for them to study. Work with them to make the space cozy and inviting and stock it with age-appropriate tools that they’ll need for their homework or take-home projects.
photo by Let’s Play All Day
Reign-In That Schedule
Summer can feel like an amazing adventure, but sometimes the spontaneity of the season can be a little disruptive to any set schedules. Preparing for back-to-school means we’ve got to get the little crew in ship-shape, and on time on the daily. To make this harsh transition a little easier, why not start creating a few more structured days now? You know how little ones respond to surprises — they’re not into it, and we can’t really blame them — so start giving them 5 min warnings before changing activities or locations. Give the kids a little headway to mentally prepare for big changes to their environment, and be sure to follow-through with the timeline so they feel supported and secure as you lead them through the day.
photo by Happily Ever Elementary
Roleplay Good School Behavior
For many young kids, going to school is the first time they get to interact with lots of different people from a variety of different life experiences, so it can be really overwhelming. As nannies and childcare professionals, we can help prepare the kids by roleplaying some of the interactions they might experience at school so they feel comfortable when they encounter so much newness at once. Talk with them about how to be respectful to the teacher, how to ask questions, how to ask for help, how to ask for personal space from a schoolmate, etc. so that as they jump into a new environment they’ve got a better sense of the parameters.
photo by Playbill
Begin School Lunch Planning
This might sound wild, but if you start working on your strategy for school lunches now, you’ll have so much more time to execute everything while you enjoy the rest of the summer. Check out social media for inspiration like Weelicious or Lunches + Littles on Instagram, and while you’re there, take a look at #schoollunch for lots of ideas from everyone! Some of the great ideas you’ll find on social media will center around batch cooking and having one day where you prep all the food, but there are also a lot of folks who make healthy, kid-friendly school lunches daily for their little ones, so it really depends on what works best for your nanny family, and their storage situation.
photo by Lunches + Littles
Complete School Shopping For Clothes + Supplies
The family should be receiving the supply lists from your nanny kids teachers, so keep an eye out for that and save everyone some time and get that stuff ordered now! When it comes to school clothes and uniforms, there may be more of a need to work more directly with the parents but start that conversation now so that you can make a plan to tackle it separately or together.
photo by Mini Cooper The Yorkie
If you get the chance to take care of even a few items from this list, you and your nanny family are going to be in great shape for the back-to-school season. Here’s hoping that this school year is fantastic for everyone involved!
Are there any other best practices that you employ to make this seasonal transition an easy one for your nanny kids?
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