Back-to-School 2021 | Tips & Tricks for Busy Families

Here at R2S, we are celebrating our students in Asheville City and Buncombe County returning to school and have come up with a few tips and tricks for a fun and successful school year!

1. Stay up to date on how to keep your student safe.
Both Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools websites provide important resources and updates to keep up with frequently changing information. Strong Schools NC created a public health toolkit for K-12 students with everything you need to know for this upcoming school year related to local COVID-19 protocols. 

2. Celebrate that reading can happen anywhere.
Encourage your student to bring a book along whenever you leave the house. Reading is a fantastic way to fill time between errands, during a wait, or when they are tired of running around at the park. This helps your student use all the information they’ve been getting at school while simultaneously giving you an easy structured activity.

*Pro tip: Don't have a book handy? Try one of these free reading apps for kids on your smartphone or tablet.

3. Celebrate autumn with seasonal reads for kids.
With a slew of new books arriving this fall, there are so many options for our learners to choose from. Brightly suggests these newly released reads for the fall season, and if you want to read an autumn classic with your student, check out these recommendations from We Are Teachers.

4. Create a reading nook.
One of the most special parts about learning to read is feeling comfy, cozy, and relaxed in the space where you do it. When we make space for students to create their own world of reading, we allow them to embrace reading as a fun and magical time! A comfortable chair or cozy corner is all you need to create the perfect space for a reading nook. Our go-to items include a good source of light, a warm blanket, a pillow, and books!

5. Hold space for communication about returning to school and all the feelings that come along with it.
We know this past year has been exceptionally challenging for our students and want to make sure that they feel heard and have their feelings validated about being back in space that might be completely new to them. This is a good time to revisit books that are comforting and familiar or to explore a book that talks about what it's like to be back in school again.

Also see:

10 STEM-Inspired Books With Black Characters
10 Ideas for Summer Reading Fun
8 Great Free Reading Apps for Kids
Vocabulary Jar - Fun Family Literacy Idea
15 Fun Ways to Weave Reading Into Family Time
Read Aloud Tips for Young Readers (And Their Parents)
35 Things Kids Can Read That Aren’t Books