When it comes to getting the family ready to return to the normal school routine, the secret is definitely in the planning. Here are a few tips to help you have a relatively stress-free return to normal life...

Hit List

Think lists – and think them the week before school starts. Do a uniform inventory and get the mending, stain removal and size issues sorted. If they wear mufti, check that there are enough clothes to see them through the week and, most importantly, that they still fit! Find last year’s lunchboxes and replace if necessary. The same goes for drink bottles and school bags.

Work in progress

Think about your children’s homework habits last year – was it a nightmare trying to get them to do it and how you can fix the problem? Start by talking to your children about your expectations this year, such as half an hour every night, then put that up on a chart where they can see it. Talk to them about what hours of the afternoon they would like to do it and lock it in. Some kids like to get it done as soon as they get home; others like a snack and a relax before they tackle it. And think about some kind of reward for a full week’s successful homework dedication.

Room to work

Consider also setting aside an area of the house just for homework and quiet time. It may be a spare room, a sunroom or a corner of the lounge. Kids always work and study better in an assigned area rather than in their bedroom, where there are distractions.

Food for thought

Make a change to your school lunches this year. Sit down with your kids and plan an appropriate lunch that you all agree on. You may be surprised to learn that your child wants a healthier lunch. Or you may think it’s time you limited the junk food by saying they can still have packets of chips but just a few days of the week rather than every day. If you want to be super-organised, make a chart detailing the lunches for every day of the week and use that to compile a weekly shopping list to make sure all the food you or your kids need to pack lunches is fresh.

Get excited!

The start of the year is a new, fresh start and a chance to get your kids excited about what the school year will hold for them. Most schools have websites or newsletters that should tell you what is coming up in the year, such as camps away and special activities.

Tools of the trade

Consider getting your child something new to start the year off. It may be a pencil case or a set of colouring pens. It doesn’t need to be big, but a symbol of starting a great new year with some good tools on board can put them in the right mood for the first day of school.

Positive thinking

Ban any discussion in your house or with friends about how horrible school is. Unfortunately, many adults think it is hilarious to remind children about how terrible school was for them when, these days, most kids really enjoy it. Be positive and make the countdown to that first day something to look forward to.

Say you'll be there

If your child had a bad year at school in 2009, make sure you are doing all you can to prepare them for the year ahead. Help them cope with the possibility of a new class, where they might be separated from their friends, by discussing possible options can make it easier for them. Also, mentally prepare yourself to be around a bit more in that first week and listen a lot so that you can help sort out any jitters before they develop into something worse.