We are re-posting this from last year since it is full of great ideas!
Back to School Organizing Tips
Whether your littles are already back to school or gearing up to go back, I am excited to pop in to share some quick tips to get and stay organized for this new school year! I am a mom to three little boys, all of which are heading in different directions for school this year, so being organized for their days is extremely important in our household. Here are a couple of things that we are doing to keep the days running smoothly.
Create a sleep routine.
Seems obvious, but it's true. A routine at bedtime is important to help the kiddos get to bed on time each night, and get enough sleep to feel refreshed for the next day. Because we can get off track with our schedules during the summer fun months, we start heading back into the school routine a full two weeks prior to the first day of school. We do this gradually and ensure they are having a consistent routine each night as best as possible, even through the weekends. Here is a little chart we popped up on the fridge so the young ones always know what to expect each night when mom and dad announce that it's sleepy time.
{You can read more details here on IHeart Organizing}
Set up a lunch station.
This year I thought I would try something new to streamline and simplify our lunch making routine. I just snagged a plastic basket I already had at home {I think similar versions can be found at Target and Walmart}, and filled it with all of the goodies we use to make up the kid's lunches each day.
Then, I just popped a label on the front and slid it into the fridge!
Now, my husband and I can just grab the basket each night when we are making up the kid's lunches. Having everything in it's place makes it so much quicker. It's even easy so easy to find everything that our oldest can help out as well! And for extra credit, on Sunday nights we whip up a bunch of PB&J's and pop them in the freezer. Then they get put into the kiddos lunches and are thawed and ready to eat by lunch time! {You can read more details here on IHeart Organizing}
Be ready for the attack of the paper monster!!
It took me a couple of years to figure out the best system for the amount of papers that come home from school. What to keep and where and what to recycle. Here is what is working best for our clan: When papers come home from school with any dates or information on them, I pop the date instantly into my daily planner, and then place all schedules and newsletters into our household management binder.
Anything that needs action {homework}, goes into the kid's personal inbox {clipboards work great for this as well!}
The items I wish to keep all get filed away into files boxes that I already have pre-made with labeled file folders and cover-sheets for each grade.
Each boy receives their own file box with one folder for each year (see above). That means I have to be selective about the items/milestones I decide to keep, however, it's typically important tests, report cards and some drawing and handwriting examples. The same concept is held for art projects, they all get displayed for a period of time, and then I only keep the really great ones that represent the child's current age. The artwork gets stored in boxes like this:
{You can read more details here on IHeart Organizing}
Create a clothing plan. I like to keep a bin for each kiddo, so they can lay their clothes out the night before. They just pick out what they want to wear and pop it into their personal labeled basket!
By having their clothes picked out and in a specific place each night, they can quickly get themselves dressed in the morning! Such a time saver! {You can read more details here on IHeart Organizing}
So there you have it! Implementing multiple easy peasy systems ahead of time are all helpful in keeping our school year and daily routines running smoothly! Thank you so much for having me today! You can find these tips along with many more to come over on my blog, IHeart Organizing!
