Lori Lori is a work-at-home mom of three living in Noblesville, Indiana.

Tips to get organized for back-to-school

Back-to-school days are right around the corner, and whether you are getting ready for preschool or Pre-K, or have kids in elementary school, organization tips are always a huge help to simplify the transition. Here are five ways to get organized and help make the return to school a smooth one.

Create a master calendar to get organized for back-to-school.

Dry erase calendars or paper calendars are both great ways to track what your family has scheduled for the month. Assign a color to each person in the family to help you identify each person’s schedule. Color-coding each family member  makes it easy to see who has what going on, and when. Write down after-school activities, lessons, and play-dates – and don’t forget to schedule family time, too.

get organized for back-to-school

Teach your family to put things away.

To avoid piles on the floor, teach your children to put their stuff away. If your children are too small to reach a hanging rod in the front closet (and they probably are), consider putting in one at a child friendly height that is easy to reach. In our hall closet, we put in storage shelves that are perfect to keep some of our shoes. Both children (and adults!) can benefit from a place to keep their shoes  – and our 2- and 3-year-olds both know that it’s their job to put their shoes on a shelf in the closet after they take them off.

Let them use fabric markers.

If your children can write their names, let them practice on their backpacks, pencil cases and cloth binders. Not only is it practice to get those letters down pat, having their names on their belongings will help prevent them from getting lost.

Make mornings simple.

On Sundays, get your children to set out their outfits for the week. This will

make school days so much easier – your kids can just grab the day’s clothes and get dressed instead of rooting around through the closet and various drawers. Laying out outfits for the week makes those busy mornings a little less rushed.

 get organized for back-to-school

Set a timer.

Give yourself a deadline by setting a timer. About ten minutes prior to loading the car (or school bus), start a countdown to help you and your kids finish the tasks that need to be accomplished. This will give everyone fair warning that the time to head out is quickly approaching.

As another exciting year of school arrives, do what you can to help make the commencement of the year fun and exciting. Organization at home can help students see greater success at school. Eliminate the stressors if possible to make the transition to days outside of the home simpler.

How do you get organized for back-to-school?

Category: Education

Tags: Back to school