Every parent has a few unique tips and tricks that really work! We’ve asked parents and caregivers to share their favorite parenting ideas. Read through the entries below—you’re sure to find a few helpful suggestions.

School Supply Shopping
Lucretia Flores
Houston, TX
2 children: ages 7 and 10

Our district provides us with a list of school supplies that students are required to have before the start of each new school year. I’ve found that, when I bring my sons along to shop for the items with me, they not only enjoy checking off the list as we load school supplies into the shopping cart—they actually look forward to starting the new school year!

Believe and Achieve
Sanjay Patel
Newark, NJ
2 children: ages 9 and 11

Before school starts, we ask our children about what they would like to accomplish during the next school year. Then, we encourage them to make two lists: a “Want” list and a “Do” list. The first is a list of what they want to achieve during the year, such as “I want to make A’s on my spelling tests.” The second is a list of what they will do to attain the goals on the first list, such as “I will study my spelling words for ten minutes a night during the school week.” When our children set their own goals, they have something concrete to work toward, and they are really proud of themselves when they accomplish what they set out to do!

Back-to-School Breakfast
Carolyn Galbraith
Palo Alto, CA
3 children: ages 7, 9, and 10

On the first day of school, we all make a point of getting up a half hour early to have a relaxing family breakfast together! I make heart-shaped pancakes and serve them with scrambled eggs and bacon! Our family Back-to-School Breakfast has become a tradition that my kids look forward to all year!

Weekend Bike Tour
Julia Johnson
Seattle, WA
2 children: ages 6 and 9

My husband and I take our kids on a bike ride up to their school on the weekend before school starts! We park our bikes and walk around the school to get familiar with the campus again. Then, if we can, we even take a peek through the windows to get a glimpse of their new classrooms. Our little family bike-riding ritual seems to rid them of the first-day jitters!

Pronunciation Practice
Marilyn McQueen
Atlanta, GA
1 child: age 8

When my daughter was entering first grade, she was assigned to a classroom with a teacher who had a long name that was difficult for some young children to pronounce. I quickly discovered that my daughter was very nervous that she would mispronounce her teacher’s name. To calm her worries, we practiced saying the name together very slowly until my daughter was confident that she knew how to say it correctly. I was surprised at how a small detail like being able to pronounce her teacher’s name could improve her outlook on the start of the new school year!

Something New
Bill McClain
Las Vegas, NV
1 child: age 9

I buy my son a new backpack or lunchbox that he picks out himself! It’s relatively inexpensive, but it’s also a purchase I can justify because it usually lasts all year long. Plus, buying that one new item always gets him excited about the first day of school—and that’s priceless!

Warm Welcome Home
Heather Torres
New York, NY
2 children: ages 10 and 12

I work full-time outside the home, but on the first day of school, I take a half-day off in the afternoon so that I can be home when my daughters get off the bus in front of our house at the end of the day. I have a healthy snack prepared for them, and we sit around the kitchen table and chat about the events of the first day! My girls look forward to going back to school and to that special first-day bonding time with Mom!