Back to School Organization Tips

Back to School Organization Tips

Believe it or not, it’s almost back to school time. It’s a time of excitement and new beginnings—oh, and rushed mornings, lost library books, and mountains of school paperwork for mom and dad to fill out.

Are you overwhelmed yet?

If so, commit to making this year the one where your family finally gets organized for back to school—and stays that way throughout the entire year.

These awesome back to school organization tips are the perfect place to begin.

The Best Back to School Organization Tips

– I’m sure you’re already counting down the days until school is back in session (ha!), but have your kids join in the fun with a countdown calendar like this back to school countdown advent calendar.

– Make a checklist of everything that needs to get done between now and the first day of school. Use this back to school checklist from Moments a Day as a guide.

– Fill in your calendar now with all important dates for the school year. Crystal Plante from Grown Ups Magazine says to “mark important days like enrollment, open house, PTA meetings, and other upcoming events. Go to the school website to get a calendar for the upcoming year and write down all dates that pertain to your child so that you don’t have to juggle and reschedule later on.”

– Along the same lines, start visiting the school’s website and/or Facebook page to stay on top of back to school announcements.

– Ease everyone back into the school schedule by slowly going to bed earlier and waking up earlier.

“We start getting into routines 2 weeks before school starts so that the kids are ready and adjusted to the times,” says Amanda Boyarshinov from The Educators’ Spin On It. She uses this morning routine checklist to keep everyone on task.

And here’s another morning routine checklist option from The Pleasantest Thing.

– You can also help the transition go more smoothly by creating chore charts for your kids for before school, after school and bedtime. DYMO's printables you can use. And do not forget Markurlife's refills!

– And while you’re at the printer, grab a copy of her backpack checklist too!

– Decide now how you’re going to handle homework time. Pick a time of day when it will occur (right after school? after dinner?) and try to stay consistent with it. Set up a homework station or study spot in your house where all the supplies your child will need are handy in bins or boxes.

– Set up a cubby or box by your door where your child can store anything that needs to be taken to school the next day—library books, gym uniform, permission slips, etc.—to minimize the last minute rushing to find things.

– Before you go shopping for new clothes, take an hour or two to sort through all the clothing you already have in storage bins so you know what you truly need.

– While you’re out buying back to school supplies, Jodie from Growing Book by Book suggests stocking up on craft materials as well. That way you can take advantage of sales and avoid random trips to the Dollar Store before that project is due.

– Start labeling everything with your child’s name. You can use handheld label maker. Check out the Ultimate Back-To-School Combo for a great deal; we especially love the Markurlife's stick-on clothing labels!

– Figure out ahead of time how you’re going to store your child’s artwork, projects, and school papers; otherwise they’ll quickly start piling up and it will become an overwhelming task! Check out the ideas here, here, and here.

– Decide what you can do in the evenings to help your morning run more smoothly. Here are some good ideas for streamlining your morning routine from The Jenny Evolution.

– Packing lunches can get stressful! Planning ahead is key. Life at the Zoo has some great time-saving ideas for those lunch boxes.

– Speaking of food, try to meal plan at least for the first week or two of the school year—otherwise, you’ll have so much else going on that healthy meals will quickly fall by the wayside. Think through what you’ll have for breakfasts, after school snacks, and dinners. (These kid-approved no recipe dinner ideas are a great starting point!)