Going from summer fun, vacations and late nights to homework, packed lunches and strict bedtimes can be a tough transition for both parents and kids. With these parent-approved back-to-school tips and tricks, though, heading back to school is sure to run smoothly this year!
1. Start Preparing Early
The sooner you start, the easier it will be. Make a list of everything you need to do before school begins. The list can include everything from meal prepping and school supply shopping to hair cut appointments and sports physicals. The list will help you stay on track and, hopefully, keep you from forgetting something and having to make a last-minute trip to pick it up.
2. Set Up a Command Center
A command center will help you stay organized all year round. This designated area will be where all school items go. Large cubbies work great to keep each child’s backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets and shoes together. This is also the ideal place to post your weekly calendar, so the entire family knows what is going on each day of the week. It would also be ideal to have a charging station for the kids’ school iPads and laptops, so they are ready to go for the next day.
3. Line Out the Routine
Make a to-do list for each child that spells out the routine and responsibilities for the day. The list can include every task kids must complete before school, after school and before bedtime. Include tasks such as brushing teeth and combing hair, as well as after-school chores or putting away book bags. Spelling out their responsibilities for them will help kids get into their new routine and help you avoid asking them over and over whether they’ve brushed their teeth.
4. Create a Dedicated Homework Space
Sometimes getting your kids to do their homework can become its own chore, but a designated homework space can help with that. Stock pencils, crayons, glue, tape and all the necessary supplies for homework at a desk or wherever they will be doing homework each day. Every day when it’s time for homework, the kids will be set up for success and won’t be wandering the house asking you where they put their scissors!
5. Keep a Place for Important Paperwork
In your command center, create a filing system for important paperwork. This can be as simple as a file for each child or one tray in which to place all incoming paperwork and mail. This strategy ensures your kids know exactly where those important papers from their teachers need to go when they clean out their backpacks each afternoon. Gone will be the days of searching for a field trip permission slip the night before a trip to the zoo or trying to hunt down those overdue library books.
6. Let the Kids Pack Their Lunches
Organizing the pantry and refrigerator will make packing lunches and snacks a breeze! Create bins in the pantry for items like chips, granola bars and drinks. In the refrigerator separate lunch foods like fruit, string cheese and applesauce packets into a bin. Then you can easily pack the lunches, or the kids can pick and choose what they pack in their lunches each day. For the first few days, you’ll want to check their lunch boxes to make sure they’re making good choices.
This also works great for after-school snacks. You can have a bin of healthy snacks the kids can always have, like fruits and veggies, and a bin for special request items they need to ask you for first.
7. Plan Outfits for the Week
There’s nothing worse than rushing around in the morning trying to get your kids dressed and their saying they “have nothing to wear.” Make an evening habit of laying out their outfits for the next day, so when they wake up they can get dressed without all the stress. If you really like to plan ahead, set up compartments in their closet for each day of the week. On Sunday, set out the entire week’s outfits.
8. Back to Bedtime
Have your kids become night owls this summer? Don’t worry! Slowly moving their bedtime up a half-hour per week until they are back to their school night bedtime will be a painless way to ease the kids back into their normal sleeping routine. When you bump up their bedtime, bump up their wake-up time, too. Give the kids a week before school starts to practice getting up on time, getting ready and eating breakfast before they would need to leave for school. Once the first day arrives, they will be up and at ’em bright and early!
9. Skip the Store
Dreading those long, detailed school supply lists and mobs of moms with their kids trying to pick out the perfect binder in the back-to-school aisle? Skip it! Thanks to Target’s School List Assist and Amazon’s School List program, school supply shopping has never been easier. Simply find your child’s school and class supply list online, match the list to the items you would like to purchase, add the items to your cart, check out and wait for them to arrive on your doorstep!
Speaking of skipping school supply shopping-one of our family’s best stress reducers is grocery pickup. Most grocery stores offer online grocery ordering and free pickup or delivery. You simply add items to your cart, pay online and pick them up at a designated time. My favorite feature is how it saves your favorite items to make them easy to add to your cart on your next visit. You can even add last minute items if you forget an ingredient for your recipe or realize you’re supposed to bring treats for the class party in the morning.
10. Make It Fun!
Last but not least, make it fun and special for your kids. Starting a new school year is exciting. Take them out to breakfast before their first day, take their photos in their first-day-of-school outfits and maybe grab some ice cream after school to hear all about their day. The more excited they are to go to school, the easier the year will be for everyone!
Regan Lyons is a freelance writer who lives in St. Joseph, MO, with her husband and two daughters, Atley, 7, and Ensley, 10 months.