Back to school season is upon us and while we parents are experiencing a mix of emotions as our kids start a new school year, our children are also feeling the range of excitement to nervousness too. A new school year brings with it new challenges and new experiences for everyone involved but what are the things we’re most concerned about?
To understand what is most top of mind heading into the 2015-2016 school year, Bing tapped into its rich search data and predictions algorithms to develop predictions for what parents are thinking about this season. Here are 7 of the topics that they think will be hot as we head back to school.
Meal Planning
Ah, lunches! Packing lunches has not been missed during the school year and it seems that the novelty quickly wears off and before the first month of school is done, we’re searching for new ideas for school lunches and healthy lunch items that sustain and nourish our kids’ minds and bodies. Besides lunches, what about quick and healthy dinners for those busy nights full of after school and extra curricular activities?
Click through images in Bing’s recipe carousel feature for inspiration or use it to explore Pinterest via image collections for Bing image search, which brings together curated collections of images from around the web.
Back to School Shopping
The price tag associated with the back to school season is a top stressor for parents. Bing Shopping provides comparisons, price finders, allows you to share your shopping lists with your Facebook friends and allows you to see what they “like”, helping you make decisions for all your back to school must-haves. You can also use Bing’s camera scanning via the iPhone app to comparison shop in just 4 easy steps:
- From the homepage of Bing, click the camera icon to launch the feature.
- Point your camera over a barcode; and for books, music, movies, and video games, position the camera over cover art and tap to take a photo.
- When Bing gets a match, you’ll see “1 result” in the lower corner.
- Click on that thumbnail to see product information like descriptions, reviews, prices, and links to merchant websites. You can even click through to participating merchants to buy the item.
Social Issues: Peer Pressure & Bullying
The social issues students may face when going back to school are top of mind for kids and parents. It’s important to talk to your kids about healthy friendships but for little kids, my Resources for Dealing with Preschool Bullies post I wrote years ago will help parents of the youngest kids acknowledge and assist them in dealing with the mean kids in the sandbox.
After-School Care
Who is looking after your kids when the school day ends? As school draws closer, we’re more focused on babysitters, after school clubs and after school transportation.
Quality of Education
Because we want the best for our children, education topics like lack of funding and STEM education stress us out yet we’re arming ourselves with knowledge and resources as we search for great educational apps, online education games that help our practice what they’re learning in the classroom at home, and online school options. Did you know that Bing in the Classroom is a great free resource for educators? It’s ad-free, safe, and provides private search to eligible K-12 public and private schools in the United States to help kids find the information they need faster. With over 9000 schools enrolled, Bing is determined to make search easier, safer, and more fun to explore. More information about Bing in the Classroom can be found here.
Math Homework
According to Bing, parents are increasingly concerned about homework, with math homework in particular high on the charts. A quick search on Bing (like the one above) can help you locate great math resources quickly to help your frustrated child better understand math concepts learned at school.
Routines
Children thrive on routines and structure so now is a great time to revisit your household routines to figure out what works and what doesn’t to make the start and end of your day a bit smoother.
Information and statistics that inspired this post were provided by Bing. All opinions are my own. Images courtesy of Bing.
[…] 7 back to school topics parents are most concerned about, according to Tech Savvy Mama. […]