My best last minute back to school tips

Don't the summer holidays go quick? One moment your kids are running out of the school gates, and the next they are whinging about having to go back to school... There are quite a few things to think about before going back to school again, so here are a few last minute back to school tips I have found useful. 

I'll also be reviewing name labels for school uniforms from Petit Fernand, and you can win your own set too (entry form at the end of the post).


kid in front of blackboard with first day of school written on it


1. Check you have all the uniform bits, in right size

Quite self-explanatory really... That said, if your kids still fit in their uniform from last year I'd recommend waiting until the end of September or beginning of October before going uniform shopping. We have found that the uniform shops are crazy busy, and the supermarkets often run out of some key items - or at least sizes can be difficult to find. But, if needs must, do try get to the shops early in the morning, or try online shopping.  

2. Label the uniform

I don't know about your kids, but mine is constantly losing every loose piece of clothing she wears. We go through a ridiculous amount of time every school pick-up hunting for her cardigan. She has also come back with someone else's tights, and would probably lose her head if it wasn't so tightly attached to her body. 

Anyway, to avoid all items being lost, label them. You can just Sharpie the name to clothing tags, but I find this wears off in the wash, so iron-on and stick-on clothing labels really help. Petit-Fernand sent me some school uniform name labels this year - I chose their Nursery Value Pack, which contains a mixture of iron-on and stick-on clothing, shoe and item name labels - altogether 120 labels for £28. 

It was really easy to order, and arrived within four days of ordering, beautifully presented in a handy booklet. You could choose all kinds of icons and colours for the labels and the names as well as a font, so you can really personalise the labels according to what your kid likes (for mine it was a bunny and blue colours). There was also a sheet of stickers for the kids - bonus!

Also, a pro-tip here - get the labels with your kids last name only. This means any younger siblings can wear the same clothes, without needing to re-label them, saving you a bit of time in last-minute preparations in a few years time. Your future self will thank your past self!


booklet

name labels

name label on a school uniform


3. Schedule your kid for an eye and dental examination

Just because it is easy to remember, new school year means yearly check-ups. And it is pretty important to do both regularly. I for example went through a year in school not being able to see what the teacher was teaching us since no one realised I couldn't actually see, much anything a few meters away... 

4. Plan the start-of-the-year photographs

I know the school year usually starts with the school photographs, but I also like to take a picture of my little one on the first day, in her school uniform. I often incorporate little information in the picture as well, such as what she wants to be as an adult, what she likes, how tall she is, the date etc etc. We have a black board wall where we add this, but I have seen other parents also use small chalkboards, white boards or just a piece of carton you decorate ahead of time. 

That said, if it's all too much, just make sure they have had their hair nicely combed before the school photographs ha ha!

5. Get used to early wake-ups again

If your kids have gotten used to late mornings, now it is time to start getting back to the routine. So, put those alarm clocks on again at a normal school wake-up time, phasing them if needed over a few days for a gentle re-programming. And start getting that breakfast routine back in again, making sure the mornings start to run as smoothly as they have to when school finally starts!

6. Rejoice in the savings you make

And if you have left all the purchases of all those school items till the last minute, at least you can be happy that you are probably able to find decent discounts the later you leave it. You might not have much of a choice but at least you are saving some pennies. So don't feel too bad and own the choice to procrastinate and mask it as frugality if anyone asks ha ha. 

I was unusually organised this year and sorted out the school uniform at the end of term last year, but, other than that am busy prepping everything else. If you have any good tips for the last weeks before school starts I'd love to hear them. 


So, what kind of last minute back to school tips do you have?



Enter the competition to win £30 towards Petit Fernand School Name Label Value Packs - just enter using the form below. UK entries only.

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Comments

  1. Be organised! write a list of all the things you need to get then either cross off each one when brought or go on a big shopping to buy the lot with list in hand

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  2. Lists! I write lists for everything and add to them continually, being able to cross everything you need to do for school off is very therapeutic!

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  3. Be organised write a list of items that you will need, shop around and remember to search for discount codes :) Make sure your little pupils try on school clothes before buying them, they grow super quick! Luckily my daughter tried on clothes before hand as we needed to buy a bigger size.

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  4. Be very organised and start early.

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  5. Be organised and shop in advance

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  6. Try to be organised early on

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  7. Get everything ready the night before the first day of term

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  8. Post the daily routine. Help little ones establish a morning and bedtime schedule with an illustrated checklist that gets displayed proudly on the wall.

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  9. Charlene Merrall29 August 2018 at 21:04

    I think my tip would be to not leave school shopping til the last minute, except I do tend to do that myself so slightly hypocritical haha

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  10. try to be organised and label everything!

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  11. Prepare before hand. The night before pack lunches, school bags, extra activity bags and put school clothes out for the next day. No rushing around in the morning and gives you a chance to enjoy that well deserved cuppa 👌

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  12. Designate a place for everything to 'live' to make it easier to find things when everyone's tired and bleary eyed!

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  13. try to get everything as soon as poss as some things get out of stock x

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  14. Have everything organised and bought in advance so there's no last minute panic!

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  15. Don't leave it all to last minute, like I did!!

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  16. Routine, routine and routine all the way. Also making sure the important bits need doing but let the children have some down time aswell

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  17. Try not to worry to much, especially on a budget, stationary from the Poundshop, will look just as good in their pencil cases as stationary from WH Smiths x

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  18. just being organised and give yourself enough time to get your child ready as well as yourself.

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  19. be organised with getting the uniform, so there is no last dash to the shops

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  20. Be organized, make a list of things you need and keep ticking them off as you go :)

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  21. be organised , leave plenty of time and be calm so you dont raise anxiety xx

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  22. get everything ready the night before

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  23. Have them wear their school shoes for a few hours to break them in or re-adjust to them.

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  24. get the uniform plenty of time in advance and get them to wear shoes in house every now and again gets them bedded in well

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  25. get everything well ahead of time and get them to try it all on to be sure it fits

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  26. Be organised a week before they return then you have time to rush out for those forgotten items.

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  27. To not stress as everyone is going through the same thing.

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  28. Organisation! Packed lunches, uniforms, school bags etc all ready the night before to save time in the morning.

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  29. Buy everything you need a few weeks before school starts so there is no last minute rush.

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  30. Start etting organised early so you are not rushing at the end of the holiday!

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  31. Don't sweat the small stuff! Buy everything you need at the end of Spring when things tend to be reduced.

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  32. Get everything organised a few weeks in advance so there isn't a mad rush at the end

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  33. Make lists of everything you need to do and buy and give yourself plenty of time to get everything done :)

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  34. Have everything set out the night before. It's very stressful looking for the one school shoe that's missing 2 minutes before you have to leave

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  35. My little one has just started school a routine is vital for us, clothes laid out for morning and breakfast prepared

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  36. I normally buy bigger size school clothes in July before the mad rush and when there is a deal on

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  37. get them back into a routine x

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  38. get as much ready the night before as possible so that the first morning can be as stress free as it can be.

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  39. Practice getting up the week before and get every ready!

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  40. Make sure the kids get back into roytine at least a week before they go back. Makes life easier.

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  41. Make a list at the beginning of the holidays and buy a bit each week -then label everything

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