I know, I know, nothing puts a damper on summer fun like mentioning the H-word. But, in just a few short weeks, the kids will be back to school and we will be wrestling with them to get that homework done. There are some things we can do NOW to make easing back into homework world a little more do-able when September rolls around…
When you are stocking up on school supplies, make sure you’ve got what your kids might need at home too. In our world, this has meant making sure we’ve got plenty of extra blank white paper (for the computer printer), the computer printer ink cartridges are full, and that supplies like glue sticks and colored pencils are stored away at home too. It’s amazing how many times kids need these supplies for homework, but the supplies are still in desks and lockers at school.
I like to have plenty of spare notebooks, notebook paper, pencils, pens, etc. on a shelf at home and it seems to make economical sense to stock up when the prices are cheap in August and September. I am usually able to stock up on enough supplies to last the entire school year so I don’t have to think about again once things get kooky and schedules get tight.
You might also take this pre-school time to evaluate where your kids do homework and see if any changes need to be made. Does anyone need a new desk? Is the kitchen table still working well? This is a good time to set up a working homework station and get kids used to a new way of doing things. The same goes for thinking through any sort of systems (or lack of) that you might have for signing permission slips, looking over homework, etc. Coming up with a new working system now before school actually gets started might make things more efficient and “ease” kids into a new way of being organized.
Also: Summer Tutor or Taking a Break