5 Tips for the 2025 Back-to-School Season from Parents on the Bark Team

Whether your kid’s school is heading back in just a few days or you’ve still got a few precious weeks of summer left, you’re probably already in back-to-school mode. Don’t panic — we’ve got you covered! This week, we gathered some tried-and-true advice from parents on our team who’ve been there, done that, and found ways to make the transition a little easier (and maybe even a bit fun).

Here’s how to make the transition from all-night gaming and sunburns to early mornings and homework blocks, straight from some Bark parent pros!

 5 Tips for Back-to-School Season from Parents on the Bark Team

1. Ease everyone back into your family’s (clearly defined) school-year rules

Before your house starts moving and shaking in the early hours before the school bus arrives, start slowly moving up your kid’s wake-up time in the days leading up to the new semester. This is probably the number one thing you can do to avoid a very dramatic couple of days that first week back. Here are a few other rules to revisit:

• Practice the morning routine. It might sound silly, but a dry run of your school morning — waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, finding shoes — can help work out any kinks before it actually counts. It’s like a new school year dress rehearsal.
• Dial back screen time limits and rules. This can look like “no YouTube after 8 p.m.” or no gaming until after homework is done. If you’re like many families, screen time was a bit like the wild west this summer. Time to get back on track and focus on learning.
• Say goodbye to days with no structure. Crack open Google Calendar or another family planning app and start mapping things out again, from major tests to every sports practice. Along with hard-and-fast deadlines like “Sept. 12: chemistry test” make sure to build in softer reminders like “Aug. 29: two weeks til chemistry test, take a practice test” or “Sept 14: remember to buy poster board.” This type of reminder is much more helpful than remembering to look at to-do lists. 
• Bring back tech-free times. Identify a time every day — or even every other day — where phones, tablets, and watches aren’t allowed, like dinner or family movie night. This will allow you to actually communicate with your kids without competing against a TikTok video or the latest group chat drama.

2. Schedule some final fun time before things start picking up

If you’ve got a little while before school starts back, arrange a social event/hangout time with your child’s closest friends to help them reconnect after a long summer of trips and camp. And if they’re heading to a brand new school — like transitioning from elementary to middle or middle to high school — this can be an extra-special bonding experience before everyone heads their different ways. Even something low-key, like a movie night or trip to get ice cream, can help ease those back-to-school jitters. 

3. On the first day back, plan a pizza dinner and decompress session

The first day back can come with a lot of big feelings — good, bad, and everything in between. Order your kid’s favorite pizza, silence phones, and really listen about how it all went. Want more than a gruff “it went fine” answer? Here are some quirky questions that will get kids thinking about the day instead of just grunting:

• Did anyone in your class look like a celebrity or a cartoon character?
• How are the bathrooms this year — better or worse than last year?
• Who do you predict is going to be the class clown?
• Which class do you think is going to be the hardest? The easiest?
• If today had a theme song, what would it be?
• What were the vibes of your teacher — strict, chill, secretly funny?

After dinner, have your kid wash the dishes while you start tackling the inevitable pile of forms, slips, and paperwork they’ve brought home for you to review.

4. Have your kids pick one big goal to focus on for the semester

This can be anything from trying to get perfect attendance to turning in every assignment on time. Once they’ve landed on one, talk about how you’ll support or celebrate their efforts. Pursuing a goal teaches kids how to plan and feel proud of what they accomplish. 

Remember to keep it low-pressure — small, achievable goals work best. The point is helping them realize they can do awesome things when they’re intentional about it, not setting insurmountable goals that would take super-human effort.

5. Try out some organization hacks to spruce up your child’s workspace

You probably already know that having a dedicated homework/study space for your kid can help them focus better, encourage their routine, and can make them feel more positive about their assignments. Think of it like a schoolwork cockpit where your kid can settle down and lock in on their studies. But what exactly does an improved workspace look like? And what if you don’t have a ton of space? Here are a few ways to get started that don’t require you to get fancy or be Pinterest-perfect: 

• Use vertical space. Short on room? Add wall-mounted shelves, cork boards, or hanging file organizers to keep supplies off the floor and within easy reach.
• Create a homework caddy. Fill a small bin or basket with the essentials—pencils, highlighters, scissors, sticky notes—so everything they need is ready to go and portable. Bonus points if you let them decorate it with cool stickers or art.
• Add a dry-erase calendar or whiteboard. Help your child track upcoming tests, assignments, and activities with a visual reminder. It’s great for building responsibility (and cuts down on surprise deadlines). But remember: It won’t replace the constantly updated digital calendar you all share.
• Cut out distractions. If possible, keep the area away from TVs, loud siblings, or tempting devices. Using noise-canceling headphones or letting them work to a personalized study playlist they make can help boost their focus.

How Bark Can Help

Getting back into the groove of a new school year is always a little challenging, but Bark is here to help! To help keep screen time schedules on point, the Bark Home is the go-to device for families looking for balance. With it, you can manage the internet on all the Wi-Fi-connected devices in your home, from TVs and tablets to computers and Kindle Fires.

When it comes to personal devices, we offer tech that puts you in control. The Bark Phone and the Bark Watch help your child stay better connected and protected, with features like content monitoring, app blocking, location tracking, and more. Check out our products page to find the device that’s right for you!