After the somewhat leisurely summer days, the alarm starts to be set earlier.
Uniforms are washed, books are rearranged, and briefcases are neatly placed in a corner of the house. For many families, that is also when the familiar rhythm of life gradually returns before the new school year.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong's family (Lao Cai ward) has a son preparing to enter 4th grade. Throughout the summer vacation, the boy slept later, and there were mornings when he woke up without having to rush to school.
About a week before going to school, Ms. Huong started to restore her child's schedule to the same as before.
Getting my child used to it gradually will make him less tired when he goes to school. In the first few days, if he gets up early, he is usually very sluggish," Ms. Huong shared.
Not only children need to get used to the schedule again. Parents also have to recalculate a series of tasks that have become more comfortable during the summer days.
As a worker, Mr. Hoang Van Nam often leaves home early in the morning. His two children are on summer vacation, so the family is supported by his grandparents for picking up and dropping off. When the new school year begins, he and his wife have to sit down to divide time.
On days when he goes to work early, his wife will take the children to school. On days when she is busy, he takes advantage of arranging work to pick up the children. Breakfast is also prepared earlier so that the children can get to class in time.
Going back to school, everything has to be timed. Parents going to work also have to base on their children's hours," Mr. Nam said.
In families where parents work in shifts, trade or often have to leave early and return late, preparing for the new school year is not just about buying a few more notebooks or new clothes.
It is also about rearranging the rhythm of family life.
According to psychologists, the transition from summer vacation to the new school year should be implemented step by step instead of sudden changes.
Parents can work with their children to adjust their sleep hours, wake times, device usage times and eating habits before the school year begins.
More importantly, experts believe that parents should not turn the days of preparing for the new school year into a series of requests and reminders.
A gentle conversation about what children expect and worry about when returning to school can help children enter the new school year with a more comfortable mindset.
Because in the end, the new school year does not just start when school drums sound.
It can start from one evening, when parents and children prepare a briefcase; from a breakfast served earlier; or simply the alarm bell rang after summer sleepover days.
