Now is the time to fish out the school uniforms - or if your child's school doesn't have a uniform, sort out their outfits for the week.
Find all those missing school socks and get the kids to lay out their clothes the night before school starts so even if they accidentally sleep in, it won't take them too long to get ready in the morning.
Making the start of the school term easier can be as simple as a fun colourful lunch. Photo / Getty Images
Declutter
After a busy year, the school bags are probably in need of a bit of a spring clean. It might also be time to refresh the school stationery and clean out the junk at the bottom of those backpacks.
You can pack their bags and lunches the night before, too, to save time the next day. If you and your child are organised, it'll take the stress out of the first day back. Maybe even pop a special treat in their backpack or a little note.
Make a routine
It can be hard to go back to regular bedtimes and breakfast times once the term starts again, especially after daylight saving changes. It's best to ease into a new routine gradually rather than trying to stick to a rigorous schedule straight away.
Try getting the kids to bed a little earlier and getting them up a little earlier in the morning, but don't worry if it takes them and you a bit of time to adjust.
Talk about it
Before the kids head off to school in the morning, give them a bit of a pep talk to encourage them. And when they get home, set aside some time to hang out with them, have an ice block and chat about how their day went.
It's an overwhelming time for kids who have been in and out of school all year, and it's important they can talk to you about how they're feeling.
Get lunchbox ready
Celebrity chef Jax Hamilton and Best Foods mayonnaise have shared their tips for creating great school lunches that your child will be sure to gobble up.
A colourful, healthy and delicious lunch will help them look forward to each school day and help them learn at their best.
Encourage your kids to pick a day and colour and create their lunch based around that colour. If the colour is green: cucumber sushi with avocado filling, green jelly, grapes, a boiled egg cooked in water with green colouring. Keep it fun and exciting!
Discover what's in season and what will work in a lunchbox. During the warmer months, try sweetcorn. Experiment with herb flavours in pestos and dressings. During spring, try grilled asparagus wrapped in bacon. In summer, pop in berries and cherries.
Carb remix
Shake up the classic bread and chippies combo, swapping the chips with pretzels, corn chips, or falafel. Get creative and swap bread for rice paper wraps, egg or rice noodles, or dumpling skins.
Mystery lunch box: no peeping until lunchtime
Try a themed lunch: sandwiches are cut to look like animals, favourite cartoon characters, minions. Think outside the (lunch) box and incorporate some of your kids' favourite things. Try a superhero box โ a super sammie or a super smoothie a.k.a Batman fuel, or a Harry Potter box โ a carrot wand and frog-shaped sandwiches.
In a small mason jar, begin with dressing. Layer with carbs, protein, salad and a crunchy topping โ just shake, pop the top and good to go.
Leftovers
Double up your dinner, like a fab meatloaf. Slice and pop into lunchboxes in the morning or freeze for when you need to whip up a lunch in a hurry.
Be kind
Pop an extra (something yummy) in the lunchbox and encourage your child to give it to someone less fortunate to make a new friend or cheer up someone who's sad that day.
