How to Get Organized for Back to School
/You survived school supply shopping, turned in the last minute school forms, and revamped the kids’ wardrobes. It’s time for back to school. Jumping through the pool will no longer be a substitute for bathing, you’ll be expected to do better than hotdogs and ice cream for lunch, and say goodbye to the complete lack of schedule and late nights. The end of summer is bittersweet. Getting back into the routine of school means early mornings, after school activities, and homework. It’s a big change of pace, and if you’re not ready, it will get stressful. Here are my tips for a smooth transition from late summer nights to early school mornings.
Create Whine Free Mornings
My kids are not morning people. While I often have to drag my kids from their beds, I have found that keeping the morning essentials as convenient as possible helps us get through the chore of getting ready with fewer complaints.
We live in a two-story home, getting my kids back upstairs after breakfast to finish getting ready resulted in a lot of grumbles. [And, trying to get them completely ready before breakfast is out of the question.]
Store extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, and hair styling supplies in the nearest bathroom so they don’t have to go far to complete the chore. Stash extra socks in a basket or bin near their shoes. Keep everything close by, and keep everyone moving in the right direction—out the door!
Create a Lunch Plan
It really bothers me when my kids complain about the food I make—it irks me even more when I open up their lunch-boxes after school and see they barely ate anything. How have I reduced the complaints about packed lunches and increased the amount of food my kids consume?
I have them make a list of ‘Lunch Ideas’—make sure they list at least a couple options for each food group. If you don’t feel like they can handle coming up with their own menu, make a list of options and have them circle their favorites. Use the list as a guide as you pack their lunch. They have a harder time complaining about the meal if it was their idea.
To further simplify the dreaded task of packing a lunch, I recommend using a PlanetBox lunchbox. The PlanetBox is a single stainless steal container consisting of separate compartments that make it easy to pack the appropriate portion of each food group. There’s no need for plastic baggies, Saran wrap, or plastic containers. My son has been using the same PlanetBox for five years now, so it's no surprise I made the investment for my daughter starting preschool this year.
Create an After School Routine
Creating a consistent routine will allow your kids to know what's expected of them without having to nag. Our routine consists of outside playtime right after school, snack, homework, then free-time for as long as they have before dinner and extracurricular activities begin—the more efficient they get through homework, the more freedom they have to do what they want.
Keep homework supplies at the ready to avoid any delays. Despite having a desk in their bedrooms and the playroom, most homework is done at the kitchen counter. I keep pencils, scissors, and crayons handy in a nearby drawer the kids can easily access on their own.
Occasionally, errands or appointments keep us from going straight home, so I keep a homework kit right in the car. We have a clipboard that slides open to hold extra paper, pencils, and homework supplies so we can stay on top of our routine, even on the go.
Avoid the unorganized drop zone and be sure to have a designated space in your home for lunch-boxes, backpacks, shoes, and jackets. Make sure your kids know part of the after school routine is getting their belongings in order for the next day.
Create a Paperwork System
I go through kids' backpacks every day after school, typically while they are working on homework, and sort through the papers. Any permission slips or forms that need returned to the school, I complete immediately and place right back in the backpack to avoid paperwork from piling up and getting misplaced.
Graded assignments get hole-punched and stored in a schoolwork binder—older kids can complete this task on their own. At the end of the school year, we sit down together and pick out the assignments that we want to keep—usually the ones that include a drawing or a writing assignment. You may choose to go digital and photograph or scan the keepsake assignments and create a digital ‘yearbook’.
Create a Family Calendar
As you receive the school calendar and sports schedules get each event on your calendar. This can be a tedious task—more time consuming the more children you have—but it’s so important to take the time to get this chore done so you’re not scrambling last minute, or even worse, missing events all together. Schedule the time to sit down and complete this task—glass of wine optional.
FYI, many third party scheduling apps used by sports teams and schools can be automatically synced to your google or iCalendar. This is a quick way to get everything transferred to the family calendar and be assured if there are schedule changes the events will automatically update.
Get organized by creating a new calendar for each member of the family, giving each person their own unique color. All of your calendars can be displayed together on one calendar screen, but it only takes a quick glance to see who has something to do. I share my entire calendar with my husband. If your kids are older, you may wish to share their personal calendar with them—this is a great way to teach time management and responsibility. Much like I use my personal calendar to set reminders for chores and tasks, I use my kids’ calendars to schedule reminders for projects and tests.
