Do you have children? According to recent polls, 50% of parents of children aged 5 to 16 say the start of a new school year is stressful. But what if this time of year became a celebration instead? Family outings, new clothes, new school lunches… With a positive outlook and a bit of preparation, you can make it happen.

The start of the new school year brings new experiences and the unknown. It’s also full of different tasks: enrolling children, purchasing school supplies and clothes, and planning a routine that’s more structured than our summer vacation… Clearly, it’s a stressful time of the year. How can we manage it better?

You can do so by turning the stress into positive energy, and there are several ways of doing this. Firstly, by marking the transition with your little ones through statements like “We’ve had a great vacation”, “You’re certainly going to make some new friends this year”, “Can you imagine? You’ll be doing some theatre!” The point is to highlight all the opportunities a new school year has to offer.

Then, get your kids involved. Take them shopping for school supplies or visiting their new school to get acquainted. These “chores” can easily turn into fun outings, especially if they end up with a pizza or restaurant meal. 

Finally, on the eve of the big day, prepare a special dinner and help your little ones pack their clothes, schoolbag and lunch for the following day.

Avoiding last-minute tasks reduces stress. And getting a head start also means having money set aside for purchases. Lastly, a few days before the start of the school year is a good time to get your children back into the sleep routine they’ll need for the next few months of school.

If you haven’t already done so, organize your school information into several electronic files: Johnny’s school info (school rules, principal and teacher contact information, report cards, etc.), Kelly’s school info, Mandatory vaccinations, etc. In addition, get a billboard family calendar. It’s a powerful “anxiety reducer”.

Pass the older children’s clothes and school supplies on to the younger ones, but treat them to something new so they don’t feel left out (a new lunchbox, perhaps?) Think about spreading out your clothing purchases over the year, to prevent them from becoming too small at the same time as the children grow. This will keep your wallet in shape, especially if you take advantage of discounts and promotions.

Are your children very young? Their clothes need to be practical, durable and easy to put on and take off: pants or skirts with elastic waists and no buttons or zippers are a good choice. Trendy children’s clothing includes jeans pants or jackets; vests, jackets and T-shirts with wide or oversized necklines; reinforced knee and elbow pads; and mittens.

If you have teenagers, we’re betting that they know exactly what they want to wear: trendy jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. Just make sure their choices are in line with their school’s dress code!

Ah, school lunches! Too often, we end up always making the same ones… To diversify your lunches, always ask yourself when you’re preparing them: “What if I switched one ingredient for another?” 

You could then replace:

•    macaroni with multicoloured tortellini

•    ham with turkey

•    sliced bread with naan or pita bread

•    mayonnaise or yellow mustard with vegetable spread 

•    etc.

Another tip to save time, is to prepare lunches at the same time as another meal. For example, if you’re making macaroni for dinner, cook a little more pasta for a Greek salad with macaroni and tzatziki or feta cheese. Or add eggs to the pasta water for a delicious egg sandwich.

We wish you a happy and relaxed return to school!