Preparing to Go Back to School

The holidays are a great way to rest, spend time doing the things you love and hanging out with friends and family. However, the holidays have to come to an end at some point! When they do, you should make sure that you're prepared. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get back into the swing of things in time for the new term:

• Adjust your sleep schedule
  Chances are, you've been sleeping in a bit later than you normally would during term time. To avoid a massive shock to the system, start adjusting your sleep schedule a week or two in advance. Start slowly, by going to sleep and waking up 15-30 minutes earlier each day. This will help adjust your body clock so you don't feel like the walking dead on day 1.

• Ease back into your routine
  Try spending an hour a day going over what you learned last term. Even some light reading will help put you back in that learning mindset and remind you what you were doing only a few weeks ago. Make sure you ease yourself into it, as suddenly trying to do 8 hours revision a day is a recipe for disaster.

• Get your materials together
  Take a couple of hours making sure you've got everything you need to start the new term. Check all your pens are working, your bag is clean, your uniform (if you need it) is washed and ready to go and all your books are in one place. There's nothing worse than starting your first day back and realising you haven't got any paper to write on! By doing these checks a week or so in advance, you'll allow yourself time to get anything that you need without causing a major panic on the morning you go back.

• Make sure you've done your homework
  It's not the end of the world if you haven't been doing your homework gradually over the holidays, you're only human after all! But trying to do it all the night before you go back might be a little ambitious. Check in on your homework requirements a week or two before the end of the holidays and make a clear list of what you've got to do. Try and spread it out into more manageable chunks, and remember that it will probably take you longer because you're out of the swing of things.

• Make your revision schedule where necessary
  If you've got exams coming up in the next few months, make a revision schedule now while you've got the time. This will make it easier to visualise the time between now and your exams and will help eliminate some of the stress.

• Take time to rest
  You might be going back to school soon, but you are still on holiday! Make sure that you're ready to go back, but also take the time to rest and enjoy your time off. You deserve it!