Tips To Make Heading Back To School a Breeze

Can you believe it’s almost August? You know what that means – it’s shockingly close to the back-to-school season. I know, it’s sneaking right up on us. While I would love to hold onto the coat tails of summer dragging my feet until the very last day before school, it would be a complete disaster. Instead I’ve done the responsible thing and came up with some back to school tips.

Fun fact: For nearly one third of North Americans, a return to routine is their favorite part of the back-to-school season. Consumers’ second favorite back-to-school activity is shopping (20 percent).

Start Transitioning Early

If you’re kid is anything like mine, our school year bed time went out the window with the end of the school year. Long summer days and lazy afternoon naps have really thrown us out of whack. While she doesn’t actually stay up that much later, it makes a huge difference during the school year. Start scaling back the bed time and implementing the school year routine about a month before school starts but keep it flexible! No need to ruin the summer fun either. 

Back to School Shopping

My daughter and I are unique in that we’re both in school right now. She goes to the local preschool while I attend a state university. So our back to school shopping list is both expansive and expensive. We like to break up the cost by shopping for back to school all summer long. This way we can make purchases while they’re on sale. We also take advantage of special back to school sales. Even still school supplies are not cheap. 

One of the things I’m always concerned about is the risk of theft. Did you know nearly half of North American parents admitted that their child has had an item stolen from them at school, with the most valuable being their cell phone? Which is probably why more than half of North American students don’t use a locker to store their belongings.

Instead of breaking backs, parents can pick up a combination lock like the Master Lock 1500eDBX dialSpeed for under $40, way less than the cost of a new cell phone. These awesome locks have an electronic interface and offer the use of multiple codes. Unlike old school locks they offer a permanent Backup Master Code so kids cant forget their combination ever again. Master Lock offers a wide range of tools for students in any grade including padlocks for school and gym lockers, laptop locks, backpack locks.

Reflect on Last Year

I wasn’t nearly as prepared as I thought last year. There were some flaws in our schedule and routines that I want to fix this year. One of the biggest things for me is staying organized all year long – not just at the beginning. Especially as we will be moving once or twice in the next year.  

Now through September 7, students and parents can take part in the “Master Lock Photo Hunt Challenge”  for a chance to win back-to-school security items and create a Master Lock shopping wish list. Players can also create a wish list and email it to mom or dad. 

The games are super easy too! One features two similar back-to-school images and asks players to spot the differences before time runs out. Spot all the difference and unlock the next board where you can earn two more sweepstakes entries! Then earn even more entries by sharing the photo hunt challenge on twitter. There are more than 65 chances to win, including daily instant win prizes, weekly prizes and one grand prize: a Samsung Smart Media Center Package that includes a 60” HD 1080p Smart LED HDTV.

You’re invited!  Join the Master Lock Twitter Party on August 5^th at 8 PM EST, hosted by @ResourcefulMom. 

This post is written on behalf of Master Lock through Global Influence by me. All opinions are 100% mine.