10 Ways to Make the Switch from Summer to School

1. Restart Routines. Kids need time to adjust, so provide a head start. About two weeks before school starts, make bedtime earlier and dust off the alarm clock. Aim to serve meals at approximately the same times your child will be eating throughout the school year. To make sure your morning timing is right, stage a test run. Have him ready to go by the time the bus or carpool would arrive — then remind him he still has a few days of summer left!

2. Go Over Ground Rules. Decide when and where she'll do homework. Be sure to cover tricky topics: can she watch TV after she finishes her work? How late can friends visit on school nights? When's the caffeine cut-off? What about chores? Establishing guidelines and going over them together will make sure you're on the same page once school's in session. Some families even draw up a written contract spelling out everyone's expectations.

3. De-stress Dressing. Let your child choose special first-day clothes — a souvenir shirt from a park you visited this summer or a new dress to match her best friend's. To avoid arguing over school-appropriate clothes, bring the fall wardrobe front and center. Replace sandals and swimsuits with socks, sneakers, and lightweight sweaters.

4. Develop a Game Plan — Together. Discuss goals for the upcoming year, triumphs from the year before, and some skills he would like to improve. Goals might include:

Making three new friends, or sitting at a different lunch table every week
Becoming captain of the chess team or a spelling bee finalist
Making the honor roll
Helping a new student adjust
Listen, and ask questions. Setting his own priorities will make them more meaningful. Throughout the year, track his progress and encourage his efforts.

5. Keep Passions in Play. If your child became a weaving whiz at summer camp or a diving champ at the local pool, keep it going. Integrate new summer hobbies into the school year by finding after-school clubs or groups that will let her continue to do the cool new things she tried this summer!

6. Summon the Learning Spirit. Assign creative "homework" as summer wanes: Ask him to identify a paw print in the park or photograph something that changes colors. Make family flashcards and quiz each other: What was the farthest you went from home this summer? What plans were rained out? Who got the most bug bites?

7. Take a Family Field Trip. Plan one last fact-packed trip to top off months of water parks and baseball games. You don't have to go far: Visit a nature sanctuary to learn about different plants and trees, or examine an old ship down at the docks. Whether you pick an aquarium or a modern art museum, the combination of fun and learning is sure to get kids back in school spirit.

8. Set Up a Homework Area. Create a quiet, well-lit space for study. Prevent first day freak-outs by hauling out the necessities: backpack, dictionary, atlas, calculator, art supplies, paper, and pencils. Make it personal and fun, but free from distractions.

9. Sharpen Skills. Add more factual brain-bending activities into the everyday mix. Sudoku games, crossword puzzles, word searches, and trivia all encourage your child to sit still, focus, and complete a task from start to finish.

10. Go for a Test Run. Take a trip to school and get familiar with the new classroom. Make sure to find the cafeteria, gym, theater, and library. Don't forget about bathrooms! It's also a good time to size up cubbies, try out lockers, and locate a pay phone. The first trip back might prompt an attack of the end-of-summer bummers, so stop for a fun treat on the way home and remind her that is she well prepared.