What Parents Can Do to Prepare Kids for School Success

Preparing Kids for the Back-to-School Season

As the summer winds down, store displays are filled with backpacks, shiny sneakers, and piles of brightly colored notebooks. The air is filled with the familiar scents of crayon wax, pencil shavings, and pink erasers. It’s that time of year when families start thinking about getting their kids ready for school.

Shopping for supplies can be a fun and exciting experience, but it's important to remember that being ready for school goes beyond just having the right items. Teachers and educators have shared some valuable tips on how parents can help their children transition smoothly into the new school year.

Reestablish Routines

One of the most important things parents can do is to reestablish daily routines. This includes getting kids back into a regular sleep schedule and helping them adjust to waking up and going to bed at consistent times.

Bryson Tarbet, a former music teacher who now works as an instructional coach in Columbus, Ohio, emphasized the importance of this. “Whatever you can do to get them waking up and going to bed at a normal time — that alone is just huge,” he said.

The first weeks of school can be exhausting for everyone, so creating a sense of normalcy can make the transition easier for both kids and parents.

Read Every Day

Reading is a crucial part of a child’s development, especially during the back-to-school season. For younger children, spending even a few minutes each day reading together can significantly boost their reading skills and provide quality family time.

Lana White, a teacher and co-founder of We Tutor Young Minds, noted that many children experience a “back to school dip” if they haven’t been reading consistently over the summer. “Just five minutes a day helps reinforce vocabulary, comprehension, and listening skills,” she said. These skills then translate into better writing abilities and overall confidence in English.

Research shows that students often spend around six weeks relearning material at the start of the school year. With the current literacy crisis in the U.S., encouraging daily reading is one of the best things parents can do to support their child’s learning.

For older kids, parents can encourage independent reading by making books accessible, visiting the library regularly, and setting aside screen-free reading time.

Practice Fine Motor Skills

Developing fine motor skills is essential for younger children. Encouraging activities like using scissors, working on puzzles, drawing, and playing with play-dough or clay can help improve hand-eye coordination and make classroom tasks like writing easier.

These activities not only support academic success but also build confidence and independence in young learners.

Encourage Independence

Teaching kids to be independent is another key step in preparing them for school. For incoming kindergarteners, it’s important to ensure they can use the bathroom on their own.

Kellie Barragan, a kindergarten and first-grade teacher in California, explained that teachers are not allowed to assist students with bathroom needs or cleaning up after accidents. “I’ve encountered situations where students didn’t know how to use a toilet or wipe because they only had bidets at home,” she said.

Parents should also practice helping kids open food packaging that will go in their lunch, so they don’t need assistance during the school day.

Give Kids Responsibilities

Assigning age-appropriate chores at home can help prepare children for classroom responsibilities. Matteo Enna, a kindergarten teacher in California, suggested that parents create opportunities for their child to perform new tasks. For example, a second grader could begin preparing their own lunch.

This builds responsibility, self-reliance, and a sense of accomplishment.

Teach Self-Advocacy

Kids should also learn how to ask for help when needed. Whether it’s feeling sick, getting lost, or needing assistance with schoolwork or resolving conflicts, knowing how to seek help is an important life skill.

Barragan advised parents to talk through potential scenarios and role-play different situations. “You can help them practice by asking, ‘Who would you go to? What could you say?’” she said.

Reassuring kids that adults at school are there to help them is also essential. Even if their child wasn’t assigned their preferred teacher, parents should emphasize that everyone is on the same team.

Focus on Kindness

Instead of only addressing unkind behavior, parents should have conversations about what kindness means. Discussing what kindness looks and feels like can help children understand its value.

Matteo Enna recommends the book "How Full Is Your Bucket? for Kids" as a starting point for these discussions. He suggests reframing questions from “Did you make a friend today?” to “How did you show kindness to others today?”

Talk Positively About School

Maintaining a positive attitude about school can help reduce anxiety and build excitement. Parents should focus on the positive aspects of returning to school, such as seeing friends again or working on new skills.

Picking out new clothes and supplies together can also be a fun way to build anticipation for the new school year.

By following these tips, parents can help their children feel more prepared, confident, and excited for the upcoming school year.