The transition back to school can be daunting or delightful. Recently we spoke to some of our top nannies, and clients who’ve been with us for years. We found out how they handle the return to school successfully.
Back to school tips for parents
- Often there’s a handful of difficulties that arise together. Dental appointments, auditions for school bands and plays, new hobbies or activities to be undertaken and a different homework regime. Add them all up and stress can become sky high. A good list of what’s coming up kept on a family scheduler/wall-planner. This can allow you and your nanny to decide how to divide up the responsibilities. It gives you a chance to prepare children in advance for unusual events like vaccinations or trips to the optician.
- Remember that your nanny may not have the chance to get all the way to school, and back, easily, during school hours. If that’s the case. Encourage her to give some time to things that can be done outside the house.For example, picking up dry cleaning or craft materials and make sure that she gets a decent lunch break. There’s nothing worse than not getting a chance to eat properly. Then having to deal with hyper or tearful children who are finding the back to school experience a trial.
- Talk regularly to ensure that you’re on top of what your nanny has planned. It can be easy to think that she’s not doing much in the hours that the children are at school. But often she’ll be planning an activity to support curriculum work or putting in time to understand the homework that your children are assigned so she can be supportive without inhibiting their learning skills.
Back to school tips for nanny
- Even the sweetest children can become greedy, needy or tearful in the return to school period. It’s stressful for everybody and this is the time to sit down and listen. Or take them into the back garden to blow off some steam. The worst thing in the world is to start packing the next day’s school bags while the little ones are still trying to come to terms with today’s experiences. Whether they were good or bad. You giving your concentrated attention to the details of the school day allows the children to settle down much quicker. So don’t multi-task as soon as you get back from the school run.
- Use school time for tasks that don’t otherwise get done. For example, spring cleaning the children’s rooms, and sorting out clothes they’ve outgrown whilst making a list of what needs to be replaced or mended. This is also the ideal time to batch cook some meals so you have good food in the freezer for busy periods. You can write a shopping list for bulk items like rice and flour, dried pulses etc. as you go through the cupboards.
- Talk to the parents about upgrading your own skills during term-time; there are plenty of things you could study from baby massage to paediatrics, from checking your first aid skills to learning to read music to help with the children’s piano lessons. Investing in your own learning helps you engage better with your charges over their lessons too.