It’s that time of year again, the summer is coming to a close and it’s time to root out the school bags and dust off the books.

Whether you have little ones preparing for their first day of school, bigger kids getting ready to go back to college or anxious teenagers waiting on their CAO offers, there are a lot of things that need to be done before that first day.

Many of the national schools will be opening again in the coming weeks, so uniforms, book lists, school bags, pencil cases and copies are the order of the day.

NEW AND EXCITING

It can be hard to send someone that small off on their first day of school, but they will love it within hours, as school for the smaller children is a place to meet friends, learn new and exciting things about the world and feel a little grown up.

As they get older however, that enthusiasm starts to wane and the prospect of getting the A4 pads and text books out again makes them feel dread rather than excitement – but again this dissipates once they meet their friends and get back into the routine of school.

BIG DECISIONS

Many Leaving Cert students will have opened their results on Wednesday and whether the news was good or bad, they have some big decisions ahead of them. If you are unsure about how to help them, enlist the help of a guidance counsellor and do a good deal of research into the availbale options, such as course choices, places to live and study, repeating the exams in a dedicated study school or going back to the same classroom.

At this time, it is crucial to let your child know that you will be there to support, guide and advise them, as this can be a very lonely and uncertain time.

For the older students, it’s time to get back into the swing of college life and while they do seem to be independent adults by now, make sure that their accommodation is sorted, books are ordered and they are ready to tackle the year ahead.