5 Tips for Better Back to School Organization

For all of those families with littles beginning school…I feel for you! Years of transitioning to school schedules and new morning routines were hard even for my teacher and mom years. So…as those kids met in new classrooms with teachers this week, I found myself missing those new room set ups, lesson plans and bulletin boards to make the best start of the new school year for all of us! Would you like 5 tips for better back to school organization?

I’m your best friend then. Come sit by me.

The world is a better place when the school day and school year begins on the right foot. And…I get it…not all days begin that way. But, if you PLAN school organization ahead, life can become easier. Right?

So..here’s some back to school tips that I hope will help you create what works best for your family.

5 Tips for Better Back to School Organization:

1. Look first at what causes mornings to be difficult.

• Tackle those issues first.
• Provide solutions to problems to prevent them from happening. I’ll give you an example, more arguments began with kids not wanting to get out of bed—not enough rest, how do you resolve that? or not tying their shoes when my oldest was 6–enter velcro closures to end conversations that weren’t going well. What to wear? Oh, I hear you! Hairdos? Shoes that don’t feel well? Breakfasts that aren’t planned ahead? or “I forgot my homework” meltdowns.

See, I have been where you are. Dealt with issues.

As a kindergartener, my oldest reminded us as we were walking out the door that he needed lunch money. I had no cash and told him to ask his dad. His dad had no cash…so when I went to pick him up that afternoon, the principal told me that that son of mine had come into his office and told him his parents had no money for lunch and asked what he should do!

Embarrassment was followed by laughter and I pulled out the checkbook to make sure that I paid well in advance and we resolved that issue by planning ahead!

So, the first tip is look at what issues you need to resolve and look at solving each one at a time.

2. Resolve sleep issues.

As I resolved the “lunch money” issue from occurring, I looked at the next issue that we had.

Bedtime.

Kids who sleep through the day learn very little and consequently continue to suffer from one classroom to the next.

If those kiddos have difficulty sleeping, what’s causing it? How much sugar or screen time or issues are causing them to not sleep? Is drinking before bedtime causing interruptions in sleep? Homework time or sports practices or games interfering with bedtime routines? Look for things that help.

Things that might be a contributing problem:

• Sugar and caffeine may be a problem that simple resolve means to begin with limiting caffeine and sugar early in the day.
• Lots of physical activity close to bedtime means winding down is more difficult.
• Speaking of homework, take a look at it first to estimate how much time it will require. I personally think that after a full day of school work, continuing that for hours doesn’t always go well. Break up the routine to give play time before diving back into the academia world. Anxiety over home work may be a whole other issue to resolve in itself–especially if it delays bedtime to get it completed.
• Eliminate screen time in bed and a few hours before. TIP: that also means locating screens- phones, Ipads, tablets, etc. out of the sleeping area. Teens will be on them all night if not, just saying!
• Extra lights are sometimes needed for little ones who ask for a nightlight. Research tells us that we all of us sleep better in a dark room. If extra “white noise” is needed, be careful on the type that might actually be stimulating and not restful.

Things that might help resolve sleep issues:

• BEDTIME routines are imperative. Same routine…teeth brushed…story time…same bed time…whatever you choose is comforting and soothing for the kids in your life.
• On that subject, if sports run past normal bed times for your kids, it may be time to leave the ranks for your child’s benefit.
• Give them time for physical exertion in the afternoon, even if that means homework waits.
• Warm baths make sleep better. I realize many parents don’t do this daily with kids…but, it truly is a great way to remove the day’s grime from bodies and prepare for a great night’s sleep.
• Reduce distractions that may prevent them from getting to sleep or staying asleep. Think about what they may be in your home.
• If sleep patterns are a huge deal, talk with your pediatrician. Melatonin is a wonderful over the counter product that may help kids and teens develop a great sleep pattern to feel rested when they get up. It doesn’t have to be every night, but jump starting a great night’s sleep sometimes is worth it. That in itself, makes the day begin better!

3. Plan ahead for making going back to school better.

I learned early on that to have a good day meant I had to start the night AND the weekend before.Here are some things to prepare in advance to make the school year and school mornings go better for EVERYONE:

• Make sure that they have all of the supplies needed to begin the school year. Better school organization begins with being prepared. The lists and costs continue to rise with these, but making sure that each child has what they need to begin the year is so vital to their feeling of being prepared. A great backpack that is durable and offers organization might be helpful.
• What makes doing homework easier so that the day at school is less stressful and they are more prepared? where to do homework? a desk set up? out of the traffic flow? Success at school continues with preparation at home. If you can make it easier without tears and meltdowns, you have done well!

Plan what clothes and supplies are needed and how to organize it all.

• Planning clothes the night before…and even before the entire week…helps greatly.
• Plan for what days require gym or different clothes? shoes? sports practice or class that require the uniform or equipment to be gathered and ready?
• Check the weather to have raincoats, jackets or umbrellas ready. Have the child help you out so they are included in the process of planning.
• Lay everything out so that no decisions have to be argued or meltdowns occur. It will help them not have anxiety or blurt out the next day that needed clothes are in the dirty clothes bin! Never a good way to begin the day!
• Prepare what has to leave with your child the night before. Before beginning bedtime routines, make sure that the backpack has been emptied, forms signed, field trips prepared for, homework completed and the backpack located in the same place to not miss taking it the next morning.
• Cubbies located near where kids exit are helpful to place coats, backpacks and lunch boxes/bags where they won’t be forgotten. Organize it all the night before! That way if a coat has been left somewhere or shoes for tomorrow are muddy, etc. problems can be resolved the night before. If lunch boxes/bags are in the refrigerator…a sign above the cubby reminding them to get it might work.

Plan for meals for back to school days.

• Packing lunches? have servings prepped and in the fridge or bag the night before and encourage kids to pack what they want in their lunches.
• Plan for breakfasts ahead.
  • prepare breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, individual quiches that freeze or refrigerate that heat well in the microwave.
  • provide fresh fruit, cereal, granola and yogurt for fast and easy breakfasts.
  • switch breakfasts up if that works for some OR keep it the same if the same breakfast is important for others.
  • Tiny tanks run out of foods that don’t have protein quickly…so consider that in breakfast planning. From a teacher’s viewpoint, I saw kids walk in with something sweet and crash soon after.

ONE NOTE: a sugary bar or carbs provide energy, but may not hold them or their attention until lunch time.

Talking about other mealtimes…

• Make dinners at a reasonable time. Allow time after dinner for routines, finishing homework if not done before dinner, and wind down time.
• Plan as much on the weekends, as possible, for the week ahead. Laundry done on the weekend makes the week go better.
• Setting up a “command center” with a system of what works best for you, a location for emptying backpacks, paperwork signed, coats hung, sports bags located, and even a calendar are important to keeping everyone in a routine that makes life easier.

Everyone will thank you for planning ahead in every area!

4. Create a morning routine that eliminates stress.

How long does each child need to “wake up”, have breakfast, be dressed, and not stressed in the mornings and still leave on time? Practice that BEFORE school begins to get into a routine.

• Make a schedule that suits each child to start the day on the right foot–wake up time, breakfast, dressed and ready for the day and set their alarm accordingly.
• Eliminate things that cause “grumpiness“, arguments and bad starts! If it begins with hairdos…can another haircut or style help make life easier?
• While we are talking schedules, adjust YOUR schedule so that you are ready before the kids so that you can focus on everyone having a great start to their day. Ouch! That means that you might need to follow the above tips for yourself!
• If there are issues with arriving to school on time creating anxiety…fix it! One genius tool that we used was setting an alarm clock when they rode the school bus. When the alarm went off, they knew it was time to put on their backpack, coats, etc. and head outside to wait for the bus to arrive. If you are driving them and others in a carpool situation…make sure everyone leaves early enough to eliminate anxiety.
• Again, make breakfasts easy for everyone and planned ahead so that kids don’t leave hungry or rushed. Breakfasts are important for everyone to begin a good day.
• Focus on great conversations that are full of encouragement and reduce arguments and condemnation. NO one needs to begin their day with negativity. None of us!

5. Talk about how to HAVE a great day with those kids!

Have conversations about how to HAVE a great day with those kids. In those conversations, address:

• treating others with kindness…and if others don’t treat you with kindness, talk about why they may be having a bad day?
• how to handle anxiety–if you forgot homework or a practice or a test.
• being a great friend and what that involves.
• how important that learning is and to think about how they learn…especially, when schoolwork is not presented in an easy way for their learning style.
• giving their best to everyone. A great lesson to learn.

Keep communication and conversation easy from and with you. If it becomes a lecture, you may not ever know the difficulties or struggles that they are having to help them work through it.

Perhaps a check sheet with rewards might be helpful. You can check off what they did each day to make the school day better.

To help get school off to a great start…

Look for ways to keep your kids excited about learning.

If you are home schooling or if kids need more learning help, this post from my friend, Kara, will provide you with some great game ideas to improve learning.

Think about how your kids learn and if the way new material is being presented isn’t working for your child, find tools like games to make learning more fun and reduce the issues and frustrations that repeating homework with the same style presents.

And to start the year off right…

I am once again sharing my favorite books to help little and big kids alike with the things that make life hard and how to navigate those. I have shared Kobi Yamada’s books here, here and here if you want to read more about these great books.

A great gift to encourage grandchildren, children, nieces and nephews as they begin a new start to the school year.

Hope these tips help to begin a great school year for those kids in your life.

Because, truly, when their life goes well…so does yours and everyone else’s in your home.

And if something with school organization doesn’t work?

Adapt and make changes that work best for your kids AND the adults caring for them. EVERYONE has to live life well and not simply survive.

Being better at school organization, means you have to talk about how that organization works and doesn’t work.

While we are talking about it…if those after school activities don’t allow time for success at school and create more anxiety…it may be time to change them.

Planning helps teach those kids and teens life lessons that are huge in being happy and successful adults.

Be a part of helping them navigate that.

Hoping all of you have the best school year yet!!

If you have other ideas that have been amazing for your family, please feel free to share with all who read!

just a note: I have provided affiliate links to offer you some shopping convenience that costs nothing more for you…but, may reward me a small commission for finding those great finds for you —which helps this blog.

Have a great start to your school year!