These Back To School Organization Tips are sure to help ease your stress level as you go into another school year in just a few short weeks. Whether it is your kids first year in school or their last as you see the first day of school approaching it brings a bit of panic to mind as you try to accomplish everything on your lists. Utilizing cooperation from the entire family, having a plan in place in advance and practicing good communication are the ground rules behind this list.
BACK TO SCHOOL ORGANIZATION TIPS
Create A Homework Station. Whether it is a nook in the dining room, a desk in their bedroom or a designated area of your office there needs to be a space that is just for doing homework. Keep this area free from distractions and well stocked with school supplies like paper, pencils, pens, erasers, crayons, etc. as needed for each student. Making a place for your child to go to every day to do their homework will help prevent loss of paperwork as well as a more focused student.
Menu Plan, Freeze Meals Ahead and Use Your Slow Cooker. Let’s face it, one of the biggest hurdles in back to school organization comes with the busier after school schedules. Whether you work outside the home, from home or are a stay at home mom doesn’t matter. When you are running kids from one practice to the next it takes a ton of time out of your evening schedule and can make meal time tough. Stick with an easy to make menu plan that everyone loves. Make double or triple batches of favorite casseroles and dishes to freeze for meals later in the month. Need inspiration, check our list of freezer friendly recipes. Of course the most popular item to use is the slow cooker for easy cooking while you are away or working.
Assign Daily Chores To Each Family Member. If you don’t already use a chore chart or system in your home now is the time to do it. Assigning each child daily chores will help minimize your stress and teach them responsibility. Feeding pets, doing dishes, taking out trash, cleaning their rooms or bathrooms, and even taking turns fixing breakfast each morning are all great and simple chores most kids can help with. Don’t forget to give both Mom and Dad designated chores on the list too so everyone is pulling their weight to make things run smoother.
Get Enough Sleep. Starting a few weeks before school begins start transitioning everyone back into the regular school bedtime routine. Start going to bed earlier each night. Beginning with 15 minutes earlier every few nights for a few weeks you can gradually adjust your sleep schedule so going to bed an hour or more early will be easy. Kids and adults alike need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep a night and many need up to 10 hours of sleep. Don’t scrimp in this area as illness, frustration and lack of concentration are the consequences of lack of sleep.
Limit Wardrobe Choices. Every kids wants to have their own style, and every parent should allow them to do so – within reason. Purchase basic pieces that will lead to easier back to school organization because they can mix and match easily with each other. Solid colored pants, shorts, skirts or leggings in classic colors that can be dressed up and made unique with fun shirts and accessories that easily intermix are perfect for kids wardrobes. By limiting school clothing choices you have quicker morning routines, and less hit on your budget.
No matter what year you or your child are in at school this year, these back to school organization tips are simple ways to make the Summer to Fall transition smooth. Invest time in communicating with your spouse and children about their needs so you can put the best plan in place. Work ahead of time to create a nice easy to transition into plan for school days Put into place our basic back to school organization tips and make this year the best and easiest yet.
Do you have any great back to school organization tips to share? Tell us in the comments!
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Getting enough sleep really is oh so very important. I can’t believe it’s almost school time already!
we are in the proccess of moving to a new state this week. this is great information as my dauter starts school on july 30th
These are great tips for getting organized for back to school. I love the idea of using the slow cooker and freezing the meals. It is so important to get the right amount of sleep too. Thanks for sharing.
Back to School is slipping up fast. Great advice.
These are awesome tips. We’re back to school in a few weeks and I’m definitely following these tips.
We’re counting down the days! Back to school is just around the corner! These are great tips!
These are great ideas, Katie! I always try to pre-plan as well… otherwise it becomes a huge mess, especially with coordinating schedules and keeping things organized. I always ensure the kids have a special spot for homework and studying only… no distractions allowed!
These are awesome tips. I will definitley try some of these.
Your last tip really worked wonders for me. My daughter would change clothes seven times and still not be satisfied!
I agree that limiting the wardrobe pieces helps. Too many choices can lead to being late! Not that I’d know that from experience or anything… :)
Those are great tips! I used to have my kids do their homework at the kitchen table, but they really each need a quiet spot separate from each other.
Love these tips!
Thanks for the great tips. I am going to use them to start the school year off as organized as possible.