Conquer Back-to-School Anxiety with Our 10 Tried & True Parenting Hacks

If May-hem is the month where everything end-of-school comes down at all once, then Aug-stress is the opposite — where you have to rush to get everything back in ship-shape as kiddos head back to school. This is a super-stressful time for parents as email inboxes explode with school supply lists, all of the different apps to download, and sports and extracurriculars start up again. 

To help you conquer some of this back-to-school anxiety, we chatted with some of the veteran parents on our team to see how they handle this time of year. Take what resonates and leave the ones that don’t!

1. Ease back in — don’t try to change everything overnight

“After an anything-goes summer, we start dialing back bedtimes before school starts. But even once class is in session, it still takes some time to get back into your tried-and-true routine, and that’s okay!” —Ryan D., data annotation and escalation

2. Avoid morning rushes by doing what you can the night before

“Prepare the night before. Make and pack the lunches. Pack the backpack. Sign the forms and load them up in the folder. Pack all the things the night before! Including band instruments — go ahead and put them in the car or by the door to grab on the way out.” —Carrie M., customer support

3. Encourage radical downtime

“It’s important to allow kids time to decompress a bit before jumping straight into homework. A solid 30 minutes to just "be" and eat a healthy snack makes for a happier kid and night!” —Katey M., marketing

“After school, get outside if it’s nice, feed them a few healthy snacks, and make sure they get a little time from screens since it seems a majority of the school day involves them.” —Ryan D., data annotation and escalation

4. For both homeschooling and in-person schools, designate a “study” space

“On the homeschooling side, I have my kid write up a checklist of what he needs/wants in order to make his workspace more comfortable and to help provide a more focused environment, along with any must-have school supplies. His "vision" of his "school area" helps way more than me providing my version of those things.” —Brynn-Marie, marketing

5. But don’t do everything for your kid — let them learn through mistakes

“One of the most eye-opening things you can do is to let your kid go to school unprepared or missing items. That’s how they learn for next time. Don’t shame them when they acknowledge they forgot or are missing an item; let them know it happens, but that you may not be able to get that item until you have time later.” —Carrie M., customer support

6. Use a shared digital calendar and update it constantly

“I try to immediately jot something into our shared calendar(s) so things don't get forgotten; I can always go back and add details of time and place later once I find out the TBA details of the "Save the date: Dance on Sept. 29." Whether it ends up being at 7 p.m or 8 p.m is less important and we’ll at least know not to plan a trip that weekend, for example.” —Jodie S., marketing

7. Meal prep with a little levity

“I’m a big fan of packing and getting lunches ready the night before. I also include kid-specific lunch notes (my 13-year-old gets a dad joke, my 10-year-old gets a random fun fact, and my 8-year-old gets an NHL player’s birthday). It’s worth the extra few minutes this takes as I know it means the world to them.” —Ryan D., data annotation & escalation

8. Keep in mind that some grades are more stressful than others

“A reminder about friendships and transitions — especially in grades 5,7,9,11 — kids are going through big transitions. And all kids will need time to settle into new friendships, schools, and "the grind." Things that are a really big deal in the first few weeks often subside as anxiety lessens. Listen. Empathize. Validate. And remember to tell your inside voice, this is a comma, not a period.— Katey M., marketing

9. Give your kids autonomy to manage their back-to-school needs

“I would say for some kiddos this can start in 4th or 5th grade, but definitely do it for middle and high schoolers. For example, print out their lists and hand them over. Next, let them look for supplies at home, and then have them create their own shopping list. Lastly, take them shopping but let them pick out their own items (give them a budget — another life skill!). We give hard boundaries if needed as well. No new backpack or lunchbox if their previous one is still in good shape." —Carrie M., customer support

10. Be easy on yourself 

“Remember to give yourself, as parents, grace. This time of year is messy and hectic and stressful, so take time to yourself when you need it. Also, don’t forget the power of music — normalize listening to music in the background of the house. Indie, techno, country, folk, whatever vibes your fam is into...it's fun.” —Ryan D., data annotation and escalation

Make everything a little easier with Bark

With all you have to juggle as a parent in the modern age, you need a device that makes managing digital activities easier and safer. The Bark Phone gives you the ability to create custom screen time schedules that can look like “No social media or games during the school day” that then transitions automatically to a more relaxed “free time” schedule that allows Fortnite. 

With our location tracking, you can also easily keep an eye on your child’s whereabouts, including alerts that tell you when they leave or arrive at pre-set locations like home and school. 

But it’s our alerts that really help you keep your kid safe. Our advanced technology scans texts, emails, DMs, apps, and more for potential issues. You’ll get an alert so you can check in and make sure everything is okay with your child. At the end of the day, that’s what’s most important.

Well, that and cutting PB&J sandwiches into triangles.