Organizing for Back to School

Heading back to school can feel like a roller coaster ride with all the emotional highs and lows, not to mention the tech issues and lost items that inevitably occur. How are you supposed to shift from full summer mode to a regular school season routine?

This is my 23rd year of back to school as a mom. Wild, right? By now, I know to expect to feel absolutely exhausted by Friday of the first week back.

It’s just the nature of things. Emotions run high; tech doesn’t always cooperate. There’s just something about going back to the school routine that is a bit unnerving for everyone.

Over the years I’ve also learned a thing or two that can ease the transition and help us all function better. Like what about morning routines? Homework stations? and Lunch?!

I am not a schedule-y type person. I’ve been more of a go-with-the-flow type person; despite all my lists and organizing things, it’s true. But being organized actually allows me to be a little more go-with-the-flow.

If I’ve done the important, time-sensitive things, then I can enjoy whatever happens in the moment without worrying that the world will stop spinning. Or the dog will eat their homework.

With some trial and error, I’ve discovered some organizing tricks that help me keep my head on straight once school starts. Whether you homeschool, private school, preschool, or public school, I’m pretty sure these organizing tricks will work for you, too!

Consider these simple school organization ideas to ease your back to school transition.

Organizing for Back to School

Create a master calendar or family command center.

Pinterest has no shortage of family command centers and fancy dry erase systems, but don’t get distracted by the sparkly things. Choose a master calendar system that you will actually use. Even if it’s ugly.

This might be a white board, a clipboard, a binder, a planner, or a bulletin board with a yearly calendar. Find your groove and be you.

If your kids have extracurricular school activities, be sure to grab those calendars and sync them with your system of choice. In fact, I recommend that you block out an hour just to hunt these down from websites and emails so that you have it all in one place.

Your future self will thank you!

Personally, I love google calendar. I am able to coordinate our family events, my work obligations, and personal appointments and sync it between my phone, ipad, and computer. I’m also able to sync events with my husband and older kids, making sure that everyone knows what’s what. Google calendar handles all the deadlines and must-do’s.

But, I also love writing in a planner as well, especially for setting goals and tackling in-house to-do’s. I use my Print & Go Planner to track goals and big priorities – but now in my ipad to reduce clutter and to always have it with me.

My kids have been using the Print & Go Student Planner — some of them since they were middle school students — to do the same. It’s a way for me to equip them for life — and make sure school work gets done as well.

With a planner, there’s no excuse for any of us to be confused.

Create a time budget or ideal week or school schedule.

Past experience has shown me that I have to budget my time as well as my money. If I don’t give every minute or hour a name or a purpose, I won’t get done the things that I need to do.

Each week I get my weekly calendar set up in my planner so that I can keep some rhythm and equilibrium in my days. I’m not filling up every minute with something to do. Rather I’m trying to draw boundaries for the things that I need to do and not let them creep in on down time or family time.

Having an ideal week to shoot for has been a game changer!

Pro tip: Hoping to enjoy quiet evenings during the new school year? Be intentional about unplugging everyone from devices and filling the last hour or two with stories and games — and decent hour bedtimes. 

Get the meal plans and grocery lists going.

Feeding kids during the school year can be a full time job, what with early mornings, packed lunches, afterschool snacks, and school night dinners. 

Meal prep will be your very best friend. See if you can block out an hour or two each week to prep items for the family’s meals. Check out these grab and go dinner plans that come with the pre-prepped grocery lists if you need some help.

Plan for school lunches.

Whether you homeschool or away school, packing lunches can be a life-saver, especially if you pack lunches the kids actually want to eat. Now is a good time to have the conversation about how their tastes have changed over the last year. 

What does your child like? WIthin reason, pack as much of the likes as you can. Not sure where to start? Grab my Ultimate Guide to Packing School Lunches.

This is my favorite school organizing tip for homeschoolers, too. Packing lunches so that kids can eat when they’re ready saves so much time in prep and clean-up!

Stock the freezer.

Freezer cooking is a miracle activity to bridge the gap between your time and a homecooked meal. It has saved my bacon on a number of occasions. 

If you haven’t already, start doubling dinner once a week and stash one batch in the freezer. This is a great way to fill your freezer without freaking out.

Plan for school work and homework.

Are you homeschooling completely independently? If so, I highly recommend my homeschool assignment binder system. And kindles for homeschool, too.  

These are what saved me when I was managing the school work of five children. 

Are you away-schooling for either the full day or doing hybrid homeschooling? Go through the teachers’ literature so that you’re really clear on your kids’ work expectations.

So many times, we fail to understand the assignment as it relates to the expectations that are on our kids. Once you know what they’re up against, you can better plan your time at home to support them.

Got older kids? Be sure to read –> Back to School Must Haves for High School & College

Clean the workspaces.

Having a clear work station really helps kids focus and get the work done. Do you have all the school supplies? Can your kids find what they need?

If your kids have a special spot for homework or homeschooling, get it all spic and span so they can easily do what they need to do. Or at least not have an excuse not to do it! Work with them to organize it all in ways that work for them.

Yeah, I said them. Part of teaching your kids self-efficacy is recognizing that they don’t do things exactly the way you would. Help them find out the methods that work best for them.

Set up your daily do’s.

My planner is my faithful sidekick during the day. It holds my different lists as well as my daily/weekly/monthly Post-it Note to do list. I know that if I make a plan, I can do great things — even if every day doesn’t obey me.

I know you want to make the best of this new year, Mama. With a few tricks for organizing for back to school. you’ll be set for success!