Preparing your teen for college transition is an exciting new journey for both you and your child. It is truly rewarding to see your kids graduate from high school and start the next phase of their life. Your teen has just accomplished a huge feat, and you couldn’t be prouder of them.
As wonderful as graduation is, it’s also painful to know they will soon leave home and head off to college.
Get Your Teen Ready For College Transition
There are several easy things to do to get your kids ready for the college transition.
Here are a few ideas to make the transition from high school easier for you and your teen.
Prepare To Buy Things
Firstly, make a checklist of everything they will need to buy for their college transition. Keep in mind, it will probably be quite a long list so, the sooner you can get started the better.
A few items they will likely need are kitchen supplies, electronics, new clothes if they are headed to a different climate, storage containers, and school supplies.
- Kitchen Supplies
Save money and time here by sending them off with any spare crockery, cutlery, containers and utensils you have. You could even use this time as an opportunity to upgrade your own kitchen tools.
Keep in mind that kitchen utensils and storage containers can usually be found at thrift stores or second-hand shops at very affordable prices.
- Clothing
It is important to have the correct apparel for the climate your child is going to. Clothing can also be found secondhand, but make sure to wash any clothing from a thrift shop before wearing it. You don’t know what it’s been stored next to.
- Electronics
Other necessities, like laptops, and tablets are best bought new or refurbished. Electronics are going to be more expensive than other needs, but if you keep on the lookout for sales, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for at a good price.
Another thing to keep in mind is that they don’t need to be top of the line. Last year’s laptop or smartphone will work just as well as the brand-new version, and it will likely be a lot cheaper.
Talk to your teen about what they will use different electronics for, and get products that will suit those needs. No reason to get a brand-new laptop if they’ll only use half of the features. Your wallet will thank you for your frugality.
Help Them Develop The Skills They Need For College Transition.
Ask your teen what they feel they want help with before they leave for college. Are there tasks they struggle with or were never taught how to do?
Maybe they don’t know how to budget, cook, or how to maintain a car.
Spend some time going through the different skills they need and want to learn.
If you struggle with any of the same skills, you can decide to learn together. Look at online videos on how to perform certain tasks, or buy a couple of books detailing certain life skills.
It’s never too late to learn something new. However, learning something new with your teenager will make it all the more fun.
Perhaps your child understands how to cook or budget, but finds it hard to stay consistent with things like studying, planning, or getting to bed on time. You don’t want to fall into the trap of nagging them to do these things since you won’t be there in college to remind them.
So, talk to your teen about how you can help them develop these skills. Likewise, help them in their college transition by setting up effective reminders to do certain tasks, like get up on time or finding time to study. Sit down with your teen and review how well things are going.
Also, ask them how you can help them stay on track, and help them take note of what’s working and what’s not. With practice, your teen will have their new skills down pat.
Prepare for their grad photos and stationery
After you’ve started getting them ready for college, you can talk to them about sending out graduation announcements. Does your grad want to use photos for the announcement, or is just text on the card fine?
If they want photos, would they prefer to have pictures taken by a professional? Or would they rather take casual photos around the house or at their favorite spot in town? If your teen decides they don’t want to take photos with a pro, go online and look up a few tips on how to take quality photos yourself. Whichever they prefer, your grad’s pictures are sure to turn out great!
Once your teen has the photos, they want for their announcements picked out, help them choose their stationery.
If you’re not sure where to start, try Basic Invite. All of their cards are completely customizable. You can change the colors and font on all of their stationery, so your teen can make their announcements look perfect. They have a bunch of high school graduation invitation cards that everyone will love.
Conclusion
Helping your kids prepare for graduation from high school and sending them off to college is as stressful as it is rewarding.
With your help, your teen is bound to make a seamless college transition from high school.
As long as you remember to get college necessities early, help your teen with life skills, and send out grad announcements, everything will go great.
Congratulations to you and your graduate!
Read more tips on how to teach your child skills on our Teach Kids Entrepreneurship Skills To Succeed page.
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
