Ready or not….here it comes! That’s right… it’s back to school time, which is why we’re here to share all our best school hacks and tips to start the year out right.
These are the back to school hacks that will have your child totally prepped and ready to learn!
From tips and tricks on how to improve your child’s study habits, to learning motivation and lunch box ideas, these are the school life hacks you need to know to make it all happen.
“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” – Oprah Winfrey
So without further ado, check out our list of 18 amazing school hacks.
You’ll wonder how you ever survived without these little tricks up your sleeve.
20 Genius School Hacks
Homework and Study Hacks
1. Set A New Routine
One of the hardest parts of heading back to school is getting a new schedule down pat.
Each year brings its own rhythm and flow. Kids need time to get used to it.
To make the transition easier, spell out exactly what’s expected of your child in the morning and when they come home by putting together a routine chart.
Even if your child is being homeschooled – routine charts are important tools to help kids manage their time and set expectations.
2. Chewing Gum Memory Hack:
When studying for a test, have your child chew gum.
Then tell them to chew the same flavor gum during the exam.
It’ll help then remember what they studied!
3. Tips To Improve Your Child’s Homework Habits:
1. Create An Organized Homework Station.
2. Use Checklists.
3. Create A Schedule.
4. Use A Timer.
5. Check-In Periodically.
4. Color Coding Hack:
To improve studying results, have your child try color coding!
Tell them to take notes using different colored pencils. It helps them retain information better.
5. Better Research:
If your child really wants to get their facts straight, tell them to stop using Google for research. Use scholar.google instead!
They’ll get more verified results from trusted sources they can cite when writing papers. They’ll also get scholarly data to make better arguments.
RELATED: Ways Parents Can Ease Back To School Anxiety
6. Train Brains To Learn:
To emphasize the importance of school work, create a consistent daily homework or reading time.
Having a regular homework routine trains your child’s brain to learn during that time period. The consistent structure helps retention.
7. Pre-Test Activity:
If you want your child to do better on their next test, have them take a walk or do other physical movements before the exam!
Exercise boosts memory and brain power. Research suggests that 20 minutes of activity before an test can improve performance.
8. Better Writing:
Does your favorite student want to improve their next essay? Suggest they use Google to proofread it!
You can copy and paste an essay into Google Translate and listen to it out loud.
This helps you find errors more easily.
9. Improve Focus:
Struggling to keep your kids focuses on their assignments? Try the homework timer hack!
Studies show the most effective study sessions are 25 min of work, followed by 5 min breaks.
For long homework sessions, every 3rd break should be 20 min.
Set a timer so your child can focus and know exactly when 25 min is up without having to ask. Then watch their concentration improve!
10. Practice Tests:
Prepare your child for their next exam with this study hack!
Whenever they need to study for an important test, have them google “site:edu [subject] exam”.
They’ll find tons of sample and similar exam questions.
Practice makes perfect!
Motivational Life Hacks For School
11. Calm Anxiety:
Got a child who’s anxious about leaving you to go to school? Try this parenting hack!
RELATED: 9 Tips For Helping Kids With Anxiety
Draw a little heart on their hand to remind them all day how much you love them.
This sweet connection can be the encouragement they need to get through their school day.
12. Boost Vocabulary:
Here’s 5 easy ways you can boost your child’s vocabulary, which will help their writing and reading comprehension.
1. Read aloud with them
2. Ask them lots of questions
3. Play word games in the car
4. When shopping, have them point out and name things you see
5. Describe new words to them
13. Encourage Communication:
Kids are often reluctant to talk about what happens during their school day, but as parents it’s important for us to know how their learning experience is going.
Get them to open up by asking strategic open-ended questions they can’t answer with a simple “yes”, “no” or “fine”.
You’ll often find that once you get the ball rolling with a clever question, the conversation will take off from there!
Need some conversation starters? Here’s 20 clever questions to ask kids about their school day
14. Teacher Correspondence
You don’t want permission slips, progress reports, or other messages between you and your child’s teacher to get lost in the black hole at the bottom of your child’s backpack.
Choose a designated place for your kid to put anything you need to read or sign, and another for anything you need them to give to their teacher.
You can take a plastic envelope, punch a hole in it, and attach it to your child’s backpack with a carabiner so it won’t get lost and will be visible to your child.
15. Praise The Process:
A key trait that helps kids succeed in school is having a growth mindset.
This basically means believing you can learn and improve through effort.
One way parents can encourage the development of a growth mindset is to praise the process.
Notice when your kids are working hard to solve a problem and encourage them to keep going!
RELATED: Boost Self Esteem! 50 Words Of Encouragement For Kids
Here’s 5 phrases you can use to encourage your child’s learning:
1. You never gave up when it was hard.
2. You’re asking really good questions.
3. It’s okay to make mistakes, that’s how you learn.
4. I love how you took ownership of that.
5. I can tell you tried your best because…
DepositPhotos
Lunchtime Food Hacks
16. Keep It Cold:
Wanna keep your kid’s lunch cold? Freeze Capri Sun or other juice drinks to use as ice packs in their lunchbox!
This takes up less space and makes their lunchbox lighter to carry.
The drink will thaw by lunchtime but still be cool, helping keep food fresh.
17. Chicken Nugget Hack:
Do your kids love chicken nuggets? Keep them warm all day at school using a Thermos!
Bake the nuggets in the morning and then place them in a Thermos with a paper towel at the bottom.
The paper towel is key because it absorbs extra moisture.
The chicken will stay warm for 5-6 hours. Your kids get a HOT homemade lunch they’ll actually like!
18. Sweet Snack Hack:
Want something sweet for your kids’ lunch that’s totally natural?
RELATED: Easy Lunch Box Ideas For Kids (W/ Printable)
Try homemade dried strawberries!
Put them in the oven for 3 hours, at 210 degrees. It tastes just like candy, but it’s healthy and natural.
19. Apple Hack:
Wanna know the trick to stop the kids’ apple slices from turning brown?
Put the apple slices in a lunch bag, sprinkle salt over the pieces and give them a quick slosh with water.
The salty taste is washed away, but the brief exposure to salt keeps the apple slices fresh all day!
20. Lunch Bag Cleaning Hack:
Here’s how to easily clean a grimy insulated lunch bag.
Yea, you can wipe it out with a wet cloth… but it’s almost impossible to remove the caked on hummus and yogurt that’s in there. Gross!
Instead, open the bag and run it through the dishwasher face down on the top rack.
Then let it air-dry on a rack or in the sun. The bag will look and smell like new!
Which of these cool school hacks are you going to try? There’s loads of great tips in here, so don’t think you have to choose just one.
And if you’re looking for even MORE school hacks, be sure to check out this list of Tech and Study Hacks everyone should know!
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