Kids Share Their Best Back-To-School Advice for Every Grade

Updated: July 30, 2018
Who's really in the know on what makes a successful school year? Kids! We asked them to share insider insights with their peers. And we've got A+ advice for parents on how to navigate the sticky subjects of education today.
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Noah, 2nd-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"First-graders don't do a lot of subtraction, but in second grade you do."

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Olivia, preschool alum

Melanie Acevedo

"Don't draw on the table. Just ask the teacher for paper."

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Emperor, preschool alum

Melanie Acevedo

"Leave your jacket and bag in your cubby. But if you forget something in your backpack, you can go back to your cubby and get it later."

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Quimby, kindergarten alum

Melanie Acevedo

"Math class is fun when you get to count out loud with the teacher. You can count all the way to 120 in kindergarten."

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Marjana, 2nd-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"You get more homework than you did in first grade, but you get to do fun stuff like measuring things. I didn't know a foot was 12 inches. I thought it was a lot longer."

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Julian, kindergarten alum

Melanie Acevedo

"The teacher may try to fool you. During a lesson she'll say the wrong answer to a math problem, like 2+2=500. But you'll know the real answer and get to yell out 'no!'"

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Shuiling and Meiling, 3rd-grade alums

Melanie Acevedo

Shuiling: "We sometimes have 'twin day' at school, when you can dress like someone else."

Meiling: "We always choose each other."

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Owen, preschool alum

Melanie Acevedo

"In Pre-K you'll learn the days of the week. There's a song that tells you what day it is. School starts on Mondays and the weekends are the best."

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Emma, 1st-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"You have to spell things the right way when you write stories, but if you don't know how to spell a word you can always ask your teacher."

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Seth, 1st-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"There are no toys in the first-grade classroom. Instead, there are books you can read if you finish the 'do now' problem early."

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Galaxy, 1st-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"You'll go on fun trips in first grade. I went on a bus with my teacher and friends to see a play."

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Jaiden, 5th-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"You can do amazing things in extracurricular activities too. I got my green belt in karate."

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Siena, 5th-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"You might get to dissect something cool. We did owl pellets. We found a rat skull, teeth, and claws. It doesn't smell bad -- just kind of like tea bags."

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Amarie, kindergarten alum

Melanie Acevedo

"On the first day you might see all new faces in class, but then you'll see some faces of friends from Pre-K too and feel happy."

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Declan, 4th-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"You might be able to climb to the top of the rope in gym class in fourth grade like I did. You'll be stronger this year than you were before."

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Aliyah, 3rd-grade alum

Melanie Acevedo

"When you play dodgeball, it's more fun to hit somebody with the ball than to be hit by the ball."

 

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