00:00 have made it to August which means the kids are awfully close to getting back
00:05 to school and parents are starting to smile. You're not speaking from
00:09 experience. No, my son's too old, too young for school. But it's back to school week
00:15 here on AccuWeather. The start of a new school year is always exciting but it
00:20 can bring some nervousness when entering a new grade or school. Here to help
00:25 parents and kids ensure a nice smooth transition into this new school year is
00:30 Grace Bastidas joining us this morning, the editor-in-chief of the website
00:35 Parents. Good morning Grace, thanks for joining us. Good morning, thanks for
00:39 having me. Okay, I have to ask, I love this first question because I feel like the
00:44 adults in the room are very familiar with the Sunday scaries but for the kids
00:48 it's the term summer scaries, those end of summer scaries that can be a concern.
00:53 Can you explain what that means? Well it's very similar to the Sunday scaries,
00:58 it's this sense of dread that sneaks up on you and for some kids the start of
01:03 school can have this effect, it can make them a little anxious. So after all it's
01:09 the unofficial end of summer, the days are getting shorter, the morning's darker
01:13 and we have to get back into our routine. So let me ask you this, what can families
01:20 do that if this is a problem to kind of start the school year on a positive note?
01:27 Sure, for starters you want to schedule an hour or two on Sundays to set
01:33 yourselves up for the week. Parents can meal prep, kids can pack their bags or
01:38 start an assignment maybe to get ahead of their work. It will make Monday much
01:43 less daunting. You also want to establish goals for the school year, have your kid
01:48 think of things they'd like to achieve in the next few months and set realistic
01:52 goals. My eight-year-old wants to learn to multiply. Having goals gives kids a
01:58 sense of purpose and lastly and very important, if schedule some fun
02:03 activities just because summer is coming to an end doesn't mean the fun has to
02:07 stop. Make the most of the rest of the season by planning a beach day, a picnic
02:12 in the park, an amusement park visit or whatever your family enjoys doing.
02:17 Oh I love that so much. There's always time for a little bit of fun at least I
02:20 think so anyway. Alright folks, can families make everyone's school days
02:25 easier? Grace what can families do to make that happen?
02:29 Yes, they can get prepared. The more prepared you are the easier this
02:34 transition will be. So make sure that your kids have the gear and supplies
02:37 they need. Plan those extracurricular activities in advance and write down
02:43 your kids schedule somewhere where everyone can see it. Kids and adults, we
02:47 use a white erase board in my house. A few weeks before school actually starts
02:52 you want to practice getting into that routine so that when school does start
02:57 the change of pace doesn't seem so stressful and tiring. And then give your
03:02 kids some responsibility for their day as you go on. For elementary school kids,
03:07 let them set their own alarms, pack their backpack and pick their outfits. For
03:12 teens, give them a little flexibility to figure out what works for them. Some kids
03:17 may want to tackle homework as soon as they get home from school. Others want to
03:21 wait till after dinner so give them a little freedom to choose. You also want
03:25 to get outside if the weather permits. Let your kid run around, release some
03:31 energy after sitting in a classroom all day and really spending time outdoors
03:36 exercising, playing games or even just simply walking around is really great
03:42 for a family to unwind. And lastly, make sure you're having a nutritious evening
03:48 meal together if possible. It's a great way to reconnect as a family and
03:53 definitely make sure that your kids are practicing good sleep hygiene so that
03:58 they're set up for the next day and feeling re-energized. Awesome. Grace
04:03 Vastidis, editor-in-chief of the website Parents. Thank you so much for those
04:07 awesome tips and thanks for joining us this morning. Thank you so much.
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