Camila Alves's Back-to-School Tips

On dealing with back-to-school anxiety:

"I feel like it's up to the parents to make it cool and fun for them, and exciting. Because everything is new for everyone, right? I think every child is different, but if you can make it fun for them and relaxing, and make it feel like it's normal, just another day, and like they're going to love it, it makes it easier for them."

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On how going to school is so different for each of her kids:

Image Source: Instagram user iamcamilaalves

"My youngest is two and a half, but he is going to school, too. It's very different. When you have little guys, they're going to preschool, and it's fun and easy, and you don't have all this stuff you gotta get them. When you get to kindergarten, the amount of paperwork and vaccine forms and just rules you have to follow is huge. It's more of an overwhelming experience than your 2-year-old going to Pre-K for a few hours."

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On getting all the school supplies:

Image Source: Twitter user iamcamilalaves

"The first thing I do when I get that list, and it's not just because I'm working with them, but I really go to Target and I nail most of it in one run. I'm heading back home now and that's when we're going to go get their lunch boxes and backpacks. What is neat is that if you let your child choose, it says a lot about their personality and about who they are. My girl is definitely supergirly. She likes anything that has sparkles and pink — anything Frozen. She's very much into all of that. My son is more like "I'm cool, I'm chill." Target has this backpack that has straps that light up and it has a button that you can control the speed of the light. I'm thinking when he sees it he's going to pick it."

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On keeping all the schedules straight:

Image Source: Getty / Neilson Barnard

"I have like a big wall calendar in the kitchen, in a place that everybody can see. And right under that calendar I put a cork board strip, where I put notes on what each kid has to do each day. Everyone has a different color for the whole month, and that color will change — because every child picks their color every month — and then any birthday parties, occasions, or school notices go on the cork board."

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On packing healthy lunches:

Image Source: Instagram user iamcamilaalves

"I like to prep things. I cook meat sauce and rice and beans and put those things in the freezer. So if I have a crazy day and don't have enough time to cook, I put some stuff in the water and it defrosts for the following day's lunch. You can steam some vegetables, quinoa pasta, and protein, and it's done."

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On teaching her kids Portuguese:

Image Source: Instagram user iamcamilaalves

"On the way to school every morning, I like to play Brazilian music for them. We talk Portuguese in the house and we eat a lot of Brazilian food. We keep the culture very lively in the house, that's for sure. They watch Brazilian cartoons, so that's very helpful, too, and they get excited to see certain characters, so they try to talk like they talk and it becomes a game."

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