Tips for Kids Returning to School After Lockdown

Yesterday’s craft idea was from Mrs. Mactivity, so I spent some time over on her website and there I learned that kids in the UK are starting to go back to school in June.

No matter when kids start returning to school after they’ve been home for an extended period, there is going to be a big transition, bigger than changing grades normally is. There will be more anxiety and excitement for kids and parents alike, as well as worries that kids might have fallen behind while at home.

The key is to approach the situation with calmness and grace, knowing that kids are resilient and will catch up to where they need to be if they aren’t already there.

I mention all this not only because of her article on the topic of kids returning to school after lockdown, but also because she has some great printable activities to help kids capture memories and reactions to this period they’ve just gone through.

(Her printables are through a membership website that costs £19.97 a year for unlimited access to worksheets, printables and activities.)

My favorite is the lockdown reflection jar, which gives kids space to write and draw about things they learned, something funny that happened and their favorite moment of being home.

There are other designs that use puzzle pieces and other shapes, even printable certificates to celebrate successful completion of lockdown.

[Photo: Mrs. Mactivity.]

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Learning about Women in STEM

I’m in deep denial about the fact that new year is almost upon us again! It’s been the fastest and the longest year at the same time, and I can look back and see some good things as well as some things I wish had gone differently.

Doing a year in review with your kids — whether in the classroom or at home — is a good way to capture some of their memories and the things they really liked about the year gone by.

There are a lot of different printable year in review worksheets you can use if you want to make this super easy. Here are links to a few (often part of larger posts about NYE celebrations with kids that are worth a read, too):

Teach Beside Me has lots of fun printables fro the end of the year, including a year in review that covers favorite memory, funniest memory and the best book they read, among other topics.
NurtureStore‘s version has space for a self-portrait and prompts like favorite toy, best day out this year and future dream job.
Remember favorites, their “best idea” of the year and have room for setting goals for next year with this one from The Keele Deal.
The year in review from Yes We Made This has room for drawing or writing and includes things like something they learned, a memory they made and a place they visited.

Of course you could pretty easily make your own year in review for the whole family to do that asks questions based on what you most want to remember. (Favorite video game? Best friend? Favorite family memory?)

And if after the year in review you’re ready to look ahead a bit, Mrs. Merry has new year’s resolution printables to inspired kids to look ahead and set goals for things they want to try. You can totally fill this one out as a grownup, too.

[Photo: Mrs. Merry]

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