101 Back-to-School Tips for Kids and Parents

Summer is quickly becoming a memory in the rear view mirror.

Time to turn our attention to school preparation.

This article by Liz Alton gives you A LOT of tips to get the kiddos off to a good start.

As summer comes to an end and back-to-school season begins, it can be hard to get back into a regular schedule — both for kids and adults.

To help you out, we asked Dr. Fran Walfish, a child and family psychotherapist and author of "The Self-Aware Parent," and Christina Nichols, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, to share their thoughts on how parents can get a jump on the school year. In response, they gave us 101 tips that parents can use to ease their kids back into school, while also managing their own stress.

The trick here is to plan ahead. Read through this list and identify some strategies that you think could help you and your family stay organized and on top of things. Then, test these different approaches as a family so you can figure out which ones work for you, and which ones don't.

Finally, make sure that you include your entire child care crew in your plans, too. No matter whether you have a babysitter, a nanny, a tutor, or all of the above, they'll be able to help you keep your kiddo on track for the first day of school. Plus, they'll be able to take some tasks off of your plate — which means that you can enter the school year with a little more of your sanity intact.

Set your kids' sleep schedules back to "School Time" two weeks before the first day.
Get your kids involved in programs that they can do after school to keep them active.
Visit cultural attractions like museums to shift their brains into "Scholar" mode.
Hire an after-school sitter to help care for your kids while you're at work.
Encourage your kids to read at least one book before the school year begins.
Reacquaint your kids with the calendar schedule they'll use to manage their activities.