Eulalee Thompson

Dear 'ol Dean has come and gone leaving behind his memories, the election fever is almost out of our system, life is getting back to normal and you know, in the real world children have to go to school. If you have children, it's your job to prepare them for school.

Prepare children for school

First-time school attendees (basic and kindergarten children) will need the re-assurance and support of caregivers. Talk with them about going to school in age-appropriate language; let them know that it is a safe place and that it is okay to go to school. Let them know that you will come back to get them at the end of the school day.

Older children (for example, those going to primary and high schools for the first time) also need the caregivers' reassurance and support. Create a home environment where they feel safe to share their fears, doubts and excitement about attending a new school. Caregivers could share their own primary and high school experience with their children to makethem feel more comfortable with this new experience.

Do your children know their caregivers' complete name, telephone numbers, addresses and bus routes? They should, so prepare them.

The start of the school year is as good a time as any to get some medical checks done - physicals,dentals, vision, immunisation, etcetera.

Take the children along with you when you are shopping for school supplies. Let them know the working budget and get them involved in choosing their own school supplies.

Shopping for backpacks

Talk about shopping for school supplies; you know there's always a lot of concern about the weighty backpack and possible health risks; in fact, some studies have associated chronic back pains in children with carrying heavy backpacks all the time. Various consumer guide agencies have guidelines for shopping for the most suitable backpacks. Here are some of the guidelines:

Go for the smallest backpack that can carry all of your child's school supplies. The backpack shouldn't be wider than your child's torso and make sure that it rests against the curve of the lower back and no more than four inches below the waist.

Wide, padded shoulder straps and padded backs are more comfortable. Backpacks with waist belts and two shoulder straps provide better weight distribution.

Another weight distribution tip - choose backpacks with lots of storage compartments. The compartments also help to organise school material. Pack the heaviest books close to the child's back.

Leather backpacks are heavier than those made of lightweight material such as nylon or canvas.

eulalee.thompson@gleanerjm.com