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Iowa schools will soon be back in session and here are some safety tips to avoid injuries to your children and to make this school year the best one yet.

It is about time that we send our kids back to school here in Iowa. Ankeny School District starts classes on Monday, August 14 and other schools follow quickly thereafter. The summer has been great fun, but here we provide some back to school tips.

Safety Tips- Whether your child or grandchild is walking to and from school, riding the bus or being dropped off, safety should be the first priority. As a pedestrian the child not only needs to look both ways before crossing the street, but needs to pay attention to his or her surroundings as some drivers are not paying attention. The child needs to presume that the driver does not see him or her and try to make eye contact with the driver. For example, even while crossing the street in a cross-walk it is a good idea to look around for approaching vehicles and not to cross into the path of a vehicle until eye contact is made with the driver and the child can see that the vehicle is stopping. (Note: Remember to remind the drivers in your family that school is back in session and to pay special attention in order to avoid a car accident).

First Day Back to School- Most children are nervous about going back for the first day of school. Remind the child that they are not the only one nervous about the first day of school. Other students and even the teachers are a little bit nervous which is normal. Tell them to turn the nervous energy and perhaps butterflies in their stomach into energy to focus on what they are learning. Also, point out the positive aspects of returning to school like getting to see old friends and meeting new ones. It can be helpful to find another child in the neighborhood that the child can walk, ride the bus or be dropped off at school with.

Bullying- While it is normal for children to tease each other and sometimes say mean things, bullying is when a child repeatedly picks on another child and can include physical and/or verbal abuse. It is important to keep an open line of communication with your child so you can help them deal with bullying.

If your child is being bullied here are some tips:
1. Tell your child to look the bully in the eyes, stand tall and stay calm even in difficult situations.
2. Teach your child to say in a firm voice "I do not like what you are doing" or "Please do not talk to me like that".
3. If the situation escalates then the child needs to walk away and ask for help.
4. Encourage the child to make friends with other children and support the activities that the child enjoys.
5. If appropriate, contact school officials about the problems and work with them on finding solutions.

If your child is the bully here are some tips:
1. Make sure the child knows that it is never okay to be a bully.
2. Set consistent and firm limitations if your child's behavior is aggressive.
3. Be a positive role model and show children how they can get what they want without putting down others.
4. Use effective, non-physical punishment like taking away the child's privileges.
5. If necessary work with school officials and counselors so that the child's behavior changes.
6. Remember, what children do as children they will often repeat as adults. If they are physically aggressive towards other children they may end up being a physically aggressive adult. Tell your children that physically assaulting other children will not be tolerated and if it continues the police will probably get involved.

Homework and Studying Habits- When a child first gets home from school doing school work is usually not on their mind. However, it is important to instill good homework and studying skills. Encourage children to do there homework when they get home from school so they can enjoy the rest of the evening without worrying about it. Create an environment that supports doing homework like a special workspace in a bedroom or other part of the home that offers privacy. Allow sufficient time for the child to do the homework so they are not in a rush and make mistakes. Make a rule that the TV and computer (unless it is a computer assignment for school) stay off until the homework is done. Be available to answer questions and help while they are doing there homework, but have the child complete the lessons on there own as you cannot help them at school. Review the homework when it is done to make sure it is done properly. If your child is struggling with a subject make sure to talk to their teacher and ask for advice and help.

Choosing and Using a Backpack- Each year children experience back, neck, shoulder and other pain including sometimes injury because of improper backpack use. Here are some tips when looking for a backpack.
1. Find a backpack with padding and wide straps to reduce the load to the neck and shoulders.
2. Put the heaviest items closest to the center of the back, try to pack light and use all the compartments. The backpack should not weight more than about 15 to 20 percent of the child's body weight. (For example, a 100 pound child should not carry more than 20 pounds).
3. Instruct the child to always use both shoulder straps as using just one strap can put significant strain on muscles and may lead to injury.
4. If the school allows the use of a backpack with wheels consider this as an option, but remember the pack will still need to be carried up steps so try to keep the load as light as possible.

We hope you found these tips useful to prevent injuries to your child and to help with the upcoming school year.