Organizing For A New School Year

Jacob starts preschool next week so I am busy preparing our family and our household for everything that this new season of our life will bring. I thought I’d share 10 things I’m doing to get ready for the start of the school year and hope that you will share some of your tips with me (especially if you have done this whole school thing before!)

1) Establish a weekly schedule. Things won’t be exactly the same every week but for the most part our routine will not change that much from week to week. I suggest writing the schedule down and posting it so everyone in the family knows the routines. Consider adding in details such as when to leave the house if you are going to be having dad, grandma, or a sitter help with some of the routines. Make sure to also schedule time for yourself!

2) Pull out the calendar. Add all school meetings, days off, and events to your personal calendar.

3) Organizing clothes. First, start by catching up on laundry if you aren’t already. Go through all of the kid’s clothing you currently have out and put aside anything that doesn’t fit or is unwearable. Pull out the fall/winter clothes and put them away in the closets and drawers. It’s still going to be hot here for another month or so but this saves you from having to do this later on. I also am going to be putting out a week’s worth of outfits every Sunday night so I have one less thing to do in the mornings. If your child picks out their own outfits they can do this ahead of time, too.

4) Establish new routines. Every year something in your schedule is bound to be different. A week or two before the first day of school start practicing the routines. For me I need to see how long it will take me to get to Jacob’s school during rush hour so I make sure he’s not late on his first day of school. I also want to figure out where his soccer gymnasium is located so I’m not searching for it on his first day of soccer. I will also be practicing getting myself out of bed and ready before the boys need me so I can see how long our morning routine will take us and plan accordingly.

5) Cleaning. I will be making sure my house and car are clean so I can start the school year off right. I am also going to create a cleaning schedule for my family so I can {hopefully} stay on top of things.

6) Meal planning. I’ve tried menu planning in the past and not followed through with it because I often cook whatever sounds good in the moment but I am planning on trying a loose meal plan of just a few meals to make throughout the week. I also hope to get some freezer meals prepared ahead of time for nights that are really busy. This will save me from picking something up on the way home that isn’t very healthy.

7) Contain the paper piles. Establish a place in the home for school/extracurricular papers. For some families this might be a binder, folder, or shelf in a kitchen cabinet. Also, find a home for the mail so it doesn’t overtake your kitchen. For school papers I will be using a binder. For mail I use a basket that I stick mail in and then go through it once a week while I watch TV.

8) Put together an emergency bag for the car. This should contain an extra set of clothes and whatever else your child may need. This is good to have in your car for a last minute sleepover, an overnight at Grandma’s, or a muddy day on the playground.

9) Gather the school supplies. Look at what items you already have and what you need to purchase. Consider buying extra supplies while they are on sale so you  have them on hand if your child runs out during the school year.

10) Get yourself ready! Maybe that means scheduling a Doctor’s appointment for yourself, getting a haircut, or investing in a new planner. Whatever it is, make sure that in all the craziness of getting ready for a new school year you don’t forget about yourself.

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So those are my top 10 tips. What tips do you have for me? What have you found works to help you start the school year off right?

4 thoughts on “Organizing For A New School Year”

  1. I really don’t do much other than getting supplies ready. But my one tip is to figure out what you want to do with the ‘stuff’ they will bring home from school. Although we’ve had years where they’ve brought home almost nothing, we’ve had years where they brought home a ton of stuff a week. I started photographing art projects. I kept tests etc for the year, just in case there was a need for them (ie if you’re requesting testing for advanced placement or extra help) and any cool papers. But then at the end of the year I purge down to almost nothing. But I didn’t start purging until after 2 years of preschool and it was harder for me to get rid of stuff then/

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  2. My kids have to bring a healthy snack to school everyday so rather than paying extra for pre-packaged snacks, I buy large boxes or amounts and then put them is small baggies or containers (obviously carrot sticks and apple slices would need to be refrigerated). I get this ready ahead of time then in the morning the kids pick what snack they want. This has saved me lots of time in the mornings as well as grief from kids telling me that I forgot to pack them a snack. Great ideas, and good luck to your family with the school year!

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  3. I pack the backpacks ahead of time-put in their art shirt, supplies, etc. Their snack/lunch bags are also in the backpack waiting.

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