Tips For Helping Your Child Make A Smooth Transition To The Classroom

The end of the summer vacation can be stressful, especially for parents who no longer live in the same household, but must work with a time-sharing schedule. Fortunately, there are steps that co-parents can take to help them navigate the back-to-school season more easily, while still focusing on what is best for their children.

Discuss Education-Related Issues 

Communication between co-parents is of the utmost importance when trying to navigate a changing time-sharing schedule. Be sure to discuss what your child will need for school supplies, whether they will take the bus, carpool, or walk or bike to school, and whether they will be participating in any after school activities. Consider going over your child’s day-to-day schedule, so you have a good understanding of what their classes are, when they’ll need to show up to school, and what time the child will need to be picked up.

Use a Shared Calendar 

Keeping track of which days you’ll have your child or be responsible for specific school-related duties can be difficult. Creating a shared calendar is one of the best ways to avoid mix-ups when it comes to pick-ups, drop-offs, and attending school events. If you use an online tool or smartphone app, you can even update this calendar as things change and then share those changes immediately with your co-parent. Besides promoting transparency, using a calendar also ensures that both you and your co-parent are on the same page.

Discuss School Expenses 

Sending your child back to school can be expensive, as you may end up on the hook for new school clothes or uniforms, supplies, books, and club and sports team fees. Paying for school lunch or additional tutoring could boost these costs even more. Try to come up with a financial plan with your co-parent, deciding ahead of time who will pay for which expenses. This can help you avoid conflicts and ensure that your child has everything he or she needs to get a good start on the school year.

Establish a Consistent Routine 

It’s not uncommon for children to have a looser, less rigid schedule during the summer. A more consistent routine, however, will likely be required once school starts again. Work with your co-parent to come up with a bedtime and homework schedule. You could, for instance, decide that regardless of which parent the child is with, he or she must do any homework before playing with friends. This kind of consistency can provide your child with stability and help him or her thrive socially and academically.

The Legal Representation You Deserve 

We understand the challenges that many families face with visitation and time-sharing arrangements when it comes time to send their children back to school. Fortunately, you don’t have to grapple with these issues on your own. Experienced Florida child visitation and time-sharing lawyer Sandra Bonfiglio, P.A. is here to help guide you throughout this process. To learn more, please call 954-945-7591 and set up a free consultation today.

Sources:

fox2detroit.com/mornings/divorced-parents-how-to-split-schedules-and-cost-of-back-to-school

huffpost.com/entry/back-to-school-3-ways-to_b_8070682