Back To School in the Netherlands!
After a long summer, schools are finally re-opening in Netherlands! Despite the situation being a little different than it usually is as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, schools have been preparing themselves for the new academic year. We’re sure that you and your kids are excited to have a relatively normal school schedule, and we’ve asked around in our community for the best tips for this year!
Back to school tip #1: Morning prep
Get your little ones in a routine of dressing themselves in the morning by helping them lay out the clothes they want to wear the night before and having them dress themselves in the morning before school. Additionally, it may help to prep their week’s worth of lunches in advance or just the night before! This will make the whole experience a lot more efficient and smooth in these first few weeks!
Back to school tip #2: Size checks
It has been a while since your child has had to do gym lessons. Check whether their gym shoes and gym clothes still fit so that you have enough time to buy new ones if necessary! Also, the same applies for if the school requires the kids to wear indoor shoes.
Back to school tip #3: Lice checks
Most of the schools won’t continue the “lice check” like they normally did (due to covid-19) so remember to regularly check your child yourself.
Back to school tip #4: Sun protection
Back to school tip #5: Continue good new habits!
During the pandemic, your children probably got more accustomed to having their own space to do school work and work independently more, and these are good habits to keep up! Make sure that your child’s “homework space” doesn’t go away, as it is still rather uncertain how long the schools will remain open. If they end up having to close schools again, at least your child won’t have to readjust again to a new “homework space”, and it will give them a great spot to work on their schoolwork even when schools are still open.
Back to school tip #6: Be open
Your child is going to have a different experience going to school this year, as there are several things that will have changed due to the pandemic. They might have questions about this and it is important to be open with them and explain why things are different. Avoiding the topic may cause anxiety, which will hinder their ability to learn. Additionally, keep an open channel of communication with the school and your child’s teachers. They will be able to answer many of your questions and keep you informed.
Back to school tip #7: Keep it fun
School, especially for younger children, is meant to be fun. They’re meant to learn how to create social connections and communicate. Despite the pandemic making physical contact difficult, social connections can still be made and the last thing we want is for young kids to be deprived of these in school. This can be done by decorating masks, hosting social distance playdates, creating elbow hand-shakes…etc.
Back to school tip #8: If you need any help, hire a Näppsitter!
Our Näppsitters are there for you if you need any help throughout the day, such as picking your kids up from school and hanging out with them afterwards. You can find a Näppsitter and schedule an appointment with them here!
