This year has gone by so fast. It feels like it was only yesterday that the kids were getting out of school and now its time to start planning for them to go back. It was a weird school year so my children are excited to be able to go back to full time in class schooling this coming up school year. And since they have had such a strange last year and a half with school, I am looking into making the transition easy for them with these five tips for staying organized for back to school.
GET CLOTHES READY
The first time I usually do to make sure we are staying organized for back to school is get the school clothes ready. We go through all their clothes and make sure they still fit. Then we donate the clothes that don’t or give to our friends. The ones that fit we separate into seasons. Because with the ways kids grow, a 10 that barely fits now probably won’t fit in the spring. The most important thing we do is set out clothes for each day. We have plastic containers with five drawers for the kids so they can set out their school day clothes every Sunday and be ready for the whole week. We also like to label our jackets, rain stuff, and bookbag so that if they leave something at school we can find it again. You can keep organized with labels by Name Bubbles.
BUY SCHOOL SUPPLIES EARLY
You can catch a lot of good deals on school supplies during the summer. They start early at the stores. You need to make sure to check each week because each store does their own thing. Then when you get them you can go ahead and separate by child by labeling their school supplies. Name Bubbles are waterproof labels making them dishwasher safe and laundry safe. School Label Packs are a good way to get all the labels you may need. We also have an extra school supply closet where we stock up on the good deals so that we can donate to the teachers who may need extra stuff.
GET ORGANIZED FOR HOMEWORK
It is always good to have a homework station. That way the kids can come home, have a snack like this Fruit Crips in Jars recipe, and then work on their homework. Having a designated area makes them feel less anxious about doing their work and they have their own special area. Especially if you label it with their name on what is there. My kids fight constantly over who has their headphones or their mouse pad. That’s why we have names on everything. It is less fights and less stress on mom. Also cuts down on germs if they have to bring headphones or wireless keyboards to school so no one else uses their stuff.
SET UP A CALENDAR FOR HOMEWORK AND CHORE TIMES
I always feel better when I know what I am supposed to be working on and I think that kids do as well. So when they know that 4 pm is time to work on homework then it makes the house work more efficiently. And I think it causes less fights when each child has a specific chore. Before we started our calendar, my kids used to always claim it was the other kids turn to do the dishes. And each child has a specific night when they set out snacks for everyone’s lunch the next day and gets to choose the special snack of the day. It makes them feel important and it helps ease the morning rush when things are already ready. Its a perfect solution for staying organized for back to school.
HAVE FUN!
School is challenging for kids. Make sure you let them know every day that they are doing a great job. Maybe have a weekly prize for doing all homework or for being organized in the morning. Give yourself a prize for getting through the week as well! Life should be fun.
Any other tips for back to school? Add them in the comments!
