school - the practical

this is a sponsored post

Each morning she crosses off another day on her calendar with a pink felt pen; twelve more to go until she starts "big" school.  And although I'm trying my hardest to ride on the coat tails of her excitement, the clutter of emotions I feel causes the lump in my throat to rise. I duck into the pantry lest she see my tears and gently breathe my way back out into the world. Practice for the big day no doubt.

So while my unruly mob of feelings do their best to form an orderly line I am gathering thoughts of practicality.  As a teacher of Prep and Year 1 children for many years I am heartened that "preparing for school' is something I know well. And the quiet business is reassuring me.  Here are some organisational ideas for getting little ones ready for school (and settling Mumma):

• Label absolutely everything with your child's full name. Yes, that means underpants and each sock and shoe. We use these colourful  iron on clothing and sock labels which are incredibly soft and flexible, and are washing machine and dryer safe. I also love that they use lead free, child friendly inks. (For the purpose of this post I omitted Bijou's surname)
• Make sure your child can open their lunchbox with ease as well as any packets of food you're providing. Simply snipping off the corner of bags and straw wrappings can make all the difference to a hungry and  sometimes overwhelmed poppet. We labelled Bijou's kindy lunchboxes with these cute labels last year and after constant use and washing they are still going strong.
• Choose a bag that can comfortably fit their lunchbox, drink bottle, library bag, homework folder and a spare change of clothes. And check to see if they can open it by themselves and retrieve what they need. A simple bag tag makes theirs easily identifiable especially if the bag is part of the uniform. Trying to find  your belongings in a sea of green school bags can lead to a emotional meltdown for a tired little person.
• An easy to open water bottle that doesn't leak is a must...as is lots of water.
• Keep books safe by choosing a waterproof library bag. Your school's librarian will thank you for it.
• Encourage independence and maximise play time by purchasing Velcro school shoes. Learning to tie   shoelaces properly is a complex skill and one that doesn't need to be mastered in the very first days. The learning curve is steep enough for everyone so go gently.
• Pack an afternoon tea snack for the walk or car ride home. When that bell rings in the afternoon they will be ravenous!
• Get your child involved in all the choosing and labelling to really help them identify their belongings and feel a sense of ownership.  

I would love for you to share any practical things that smoothed the transition for your child (and you!).

I was thrilled to be contacted by Stuck on you to review some of their products as we have long used and loved their labels. Stuck on you is a family owned company producing colourful and  hard wearing ways to keep track of children's things. Made in Australia they offer an enormous range of high quality labels, drink bottles and lunch boxes that you can personalise with your child's name, favourite colour and a myriad of designs (including allergy aware icons). With a brand philosophy centred around service, quality and design their products are not only tough but lots of fun and would be a wonderful way to prepare your child for school. For the month of January the lovely people at www.stuckonyou.com.au are offering free shipping with the code TBW14. 

Steph x