This year, back to school will be a lot different. While students are allowed to return to classrooms, it is more important than ever to really prepare them for their first day back. Here are a few quick tips to get you started:
Ensure they know how to wear a mask safely.
This definitely isn’t new to them, but giving a gentle reminder of how marks are meant to be worn will help your kids understand the necessity of wearing masks properly each day.
Reiterate the importance of physical distancing.
Kids are already really excited to get back to school and see all their friends, so they might end up forgetting about social distancing rules in the overall excitement. Be sure they fully understand the importance of social distancing and to respect other students’ spaces as well, especially those students who might be quite nervous to be headed back to school.
Re-teach proper hand hygiene
This may seem redundant, but kids can forget the simplest things. Proper hand washing goes an extremely long way when it comes to preventing illness. Here is a great but simple video to show your kids just “How Germs Spread” to reiterate the importance of proper hand washing techniques.
Speak to them about “sick” days
While there is no doubt students will not feel well over the school year, it is important to discuss with them the differences between feeling unwell and feeling symptoms of Covid. When a student calls home “sick”, it will mean something entirely different for the whole school and may lead to a series of events across the board. Ask them how they feel before they head off to school and try and have them understand how to explain how they are feeling unwell. Remind them that they should only say they are sick, if they are actually sick.
Buy typical school supplies, include sanitizing products as well, and expect your kids to need all their own supplies.
Send your kids to school with the basics (pens, pencils, and erasers) but also include Kleenex, hand sanitizer, gloves, extra masks, and Lysol wipes. As well, expect your kids to have to have all of their own things as nothing will be sharable this year. Prepare to buy them their own plastic bin to put all of their supplies in including paper, pens, pencils, art supplies, scissors etc.
Be prepared for school to shut down again.
Even though the world is opening back up, take the extra precautions and also prepare for students to stay home this school year. The school board could change their minds at any moment and decide it is safer to have students attend school virtually. Do your best to ensure your kid has a quiet working space and is set up with everything they may need to succeed while completing their work from home.
If you need help back to school shopping or preparing for this upcoming school year, we can help! Reach out to us at [email protected] for more information.
