The new school year is right around the corner! That means big changes and new routines for families and educators alike.
Whether you’re returning to the classroom or learning from home, Mountain Lake PBS is here for you as the 2025-2026 school year kicks off! Check out some of our favorite back-to-school resources below to help learners of all ages succeed. Explore collections from PBS LearningMedia and PBS KIDS for Parents to help create good study habits, set & continue new routines, manage emotions, and build friendships. Materials include resources to support educators as they integrate PBS and PBS KIDS content into their classrooms. And don’t miss the growing list of PBS LearningMedia videos, activities, and teaching tips exploring the Adirondacks, Champlain Valley, and beyond from Mountain Lake PBS.
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Tips for New School Year Success
Helping Preschoolers Cope With Separation Anxiety
Grade PreK
As you prepare to drop your child off at preschool, try these strategies to help your child cope with separation anxiety.
Setting Goals for a New School Year
Grades PreK-3
A new school year is a great time to set new goals, just like a new year! Here are some easy ideas for creating new school year resolutions and ways to make them stick.
Three Ways to Help Your Child Build Better Friendships
Grades PreK-3
From modeling friendships to helping children understand how to invite and include others, parents play an essential role in helping children to build relationships with others.
How to Get Involved in Your Child’s Learning at School
Grades PreK-3
Students are better capable of flourishing in school when they have the support and encouragement of their parents. Here are a few ways that parents can be involved to help their children be engaged and positive with their learning.
How to Prepare Your Child for a New School
Grades K-3
Whether your child is changing schools, getting a new teacher, or simply switching from a summer routine to a school year routine, school changes can bring out a lot of emotions for both of you!
Back to School Resource Hubs & Collections
Going Back to School collection | PBS KIDS for Parents
Grades PreK-3
School is back in session! Explore different topics, such as coping with back-to-school anxieties and emotions, creating daily routines, and tackling common situations that arise with the start of school. Ease the transition with some fun lunch box or after school snacks and downtime activities.
Back to School collection | PBS LearningMedia
Grades PreK-5
Get ready for the start of school with some of our favorite back-to-school resources! This collection features activities and video resources to help students get to know each other and their new school routines, and lesson plans to help you get your new class off to a great start.
NOVA collection | PBS LearningMedia
Grades K-12
Bring STEM to life with NOVA’s 50+ years of science storytelling! Explore digital videos, excerpts from NOVA broadcast films, original games and interactives that connect big discoveries to students’ everyday lives and the world around them.
Mountain Lake PBS collections | PBS LearningMedia
Grades 3-12
Explore curated collections from Mountain Lake PBS that connect video clips from fascinating local documentaries, like “Return to Auschwitz” and “A Wild Idea,” to classroom-ready activities, teaching tips, and more. Discover the people, culture, and environment of the Adirondacks, Champlain Valley, and beyond with additional resources from our award-winning magazine series, Mountain Lake Journal.
Ken Burns in the Classroom collection | PBS LearningMedia
Grades 6-12
Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than forty years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students, and introduce new ideas, perspectives, and primary sources. Browse this collection by era, theme, or film to discover engaging videos, activities, and lesson plans that bring history to life.
Activities, Games & More
School Readiness | Sesame Street in Communities
Grades PreK-K
Children’s lives are packed with first-time experiences. By using everyday moments for learning, you’re building their brains—and a strong foundation of early school readiness for success in school and in life. Using these resources, take a peek into another child’s day in the video “A Day in the Life of a Kindergartner,” get Parent-Teacher Communication Tips, and draw a Family Portrait.
Back-to-School Planner and Checklist | PBS KIDS
Grades PreK-2
Get ready to go back to school with PBS KIDS! Help kids plan their first week of school, identify new routines, and prepare for the year ahead with these printables.
Teachers are Terrific | Booklist
Grades PreK-5
Teachers must be brave, patient, creative and downright stalwart people. Celebrate going back to school with these books aboutextraordinary teachers and the children they teach!
Easy After School Snacks
Grades PreK-5
When kids get home after a big day at school, they often want a snack to fuel them until dinnertime. Here are some easy snack ideas to make quickly in the moment or to make ahead.
Back to School Game | Arthur
Grades K-5
It’s the first day of school! Help Arthur take care of classroom chores, hand out invitations, retrieve library books and more.