With the beginning of the school year comes not only the rush to prepare not only for school but
also for all of those extra activities that come with the school year. With children preparing to
run off in all directions whether it be for sports, academic activities, or social events it can be
hectic to remember everything necessary to be ready for the start of the year. It's possible to do
though and as long as things are taken step by step you can be ready for the start of the year with
relatively little fuss.
The first thing to do is to start early. Leaving things to the last minute is always a bad idea but
especially bad in this case. Imagine how bad you would feel if your child couldn't participate in
something that they really wanted to because you didn't have everything ready. Starting early
also has the added benefit of beating the rush and not having to deal with massive amounts of
people all trying to get the same things that you are. Which would you prefer to do stand in line
for five minutes or for thirty?
Sit down with your children and decide what they want to participate in during the coming year.
Knowing exactly what's coming gives you a big head start on all of the planning that you need to
do not just for getting ready but also for how to get everything accomplished during the year.
Start developing a good strategy now and you'll feel much less stress when the school year
activities actually start.
Now make a list. Start with the physical things needed for each activity. Does the activity require
a lot of specialized equipment or gear? If it does is it provided by the school or is the parent
responsible for providing it? Is the equipment something you can get locally at a good price or
would you get a better deal ordering it online and waiting for it to come in. If ordering it
remember to order early and give yourself extra time in case of things like shipping delays.
Write all of the things that your child needs to have with them on the list and then check them
off as you get them so that you know exactly where you are at equipment wise.
Next on the list is the nonphysical items. This includes things like signing up for the activity and
getting physicals done. Signing up for the activity should always be done as early as possible
because some schools require sign up to be done before the previous school year ends. This also
give your child time to prepare if there is a tryout that they have to pass or a physical
requirement that they have to meet that they have to work towards. If there's a physical involved
it's best to call the doctor doing the exam as soon as possible not just to get it out of the way but
also because some offices have a long wait for appointment time and as the school year gets
closer the few available appointment slots will fill up very quickly.
Find out if there are any special requirements that your child will have to meet and help them
plan out how to meet these goals. Do they have to be a certain weight or have read certain
books? Are there things they need to study up on before the year starts? In order to be successful
at and sometimes even just to join the activity there may be things that they need to accomplish
first and we can help them by scheduling out a plan to accomplish those goals.
These are just a few things that can help get ready for the rush of the school year and the added
stress of being ready for extracurricular activities. With a little bit of planning and care we can
make it so that these activiteis are enjoyable not just for our children but for us also.