It's the end of summer and the kids have been running amuck. The first part in getting ready for Back-To-School happens at home. There should be doing some sort of spring cleaning on the house. Getting clean and organized will go a long way to making you and your family feel ready. Cleaning out the kids rooms and other random stash spots can produce school supplies you didn't know you had either from the previous year or things you bought that ended up not getting used. Which means, that's one less thing you have to buy now for the new year. You can come across things that can be repurposed. Getting the kids to clean and organize their rooms cuts out that school morning rush since they'll know where everything is. Once things are in place, plan a routine. What everyone should be doing before and after school, where to put their things. When everyone knows what to expect, life runs smoothly.
Here, we give you some helpful tips, since the process can be overwhelming. Get the kids involved and your family can start off on the right foot,
Get organized and start identifying unwanted items
The first step is to get organized. Start by walking through your house room by room. Look in each closet, cabinet, and nook. You can work on common areas and the kids can work on their rooms. Just remind them about forgotten spaces like under the bed. Teaching your kids to do the same, look at each item and decide if it's something you still need or love. There's a rule that if you haven't used it in the last 6 months, you don't need it. This may be different with the new school year. If there's a new class or subject where the item is needed, you can hold onto it. Have boxes stationed to sort things into Keep, Trash and Donate piles.
As you continue this process, you will start to see the areas of your home that need the most purging. If that means you get overwhelmed by a specific room or drawer, that's OK. Come back to it later when you're ready. Some people choose to do this process room by room, or even drawer by drawer. Sometimes it's best to do the quick "once-over" first and come back for details later. Do it at the speed that works best for you!
 Andrea Piacquaido | Canva |
Decide what to do with your stuff
You can sell, donate, recycle or — last resort — toss your unwanted items.
- Selling: Selling items can be a great way to make some extra money. You can list your items online anywhere from eBay to Facebook Marketplace. You could also consider hosting a yard sale or taking your items to a consignment shop. This is an especially great idea for kid's clothes. They grow so fast, the condition of the clothes are still good.
- Recycling: Many items such as electronics and batteries can be recycled responsibly instead of ending up in a landfill. There are some stores like Best Buy and UBreakIFix that will take electronics. Check with your local municipality for information about how to safely dispose of hazardous materials like paint and chemicals.
- Donating: If you don’t want to go through the hassle of selling your items, you might donate them instead. Make sure items are in good condition before donating — organizations likely won't want items that are broken, stained or damaged. There are plenty of charities and organizations that will gladly accept your items. Here are some to consider:
- Thrift stores
- Homeless shelters
- Animal shelters and rescues
- Schools and educational programs
- Medical supply charities
- Community centers
- Veterans' support organizations
- Crisis pregnancy centers
- Rehabilitation centers
No matter where you choose to donate your things, know that your generosity is helping someone in need.
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Set up your home
Now that you’ve done the hard work of purging and donating, you get your home set up for success. Plan spaces for the backpacks to go. Decide where kids will do their schoolwork. Getting them in the habit of putting their things away as soon as they get home will ensure they know where things are the next morning. Organizing the closet will help them get dressed quickly in the morning.
Here are some tips to be organized:
- Use labeled hangers or a closet organizer to plan outfits for the week
- Set up paper organizers for important info, clear out their folders each day
- Have a designated book box/basket for library books
- Use a dry-erase board with everyone's name, use it for school events, chores, homework
- Utilize your smart home systems, like Alexa, Siri and Google for reminders
- Use hooks by the front door to hang backpacks
- Keep a shoe bucket, no looking for the other shoe last minute
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Plan a routine
Decide what time everyone will be getting up to start their day. If this differs with each kid, map it out for them. Write their specific schedule and list of things to do and tape it to their door. Let each kid know that they need to do, A, B and C (get dressed, brush teeth, etc) when they wake up, even if you are helping little ones get through their routine, it's still helpful for them to know what to expect and gets them in the habit when it's time to do it themselves.
Have a list of the things they cannot forget by the door. Backpack, lunch, water bottle, Chromebook, whatever they absolutely have to have. Head out the door. The week leading up to the first day of school, I like to do a trial run. Not really the getting ready part, but the getting to school part. There will be less traffic but you get an idea of how long it should take, especially good if you're having to run to multiple schools. If your kids walk to school on their own, it's a good idea to show them the way and any risks to look out for. You can let them know where they can go if there's trouble. Stopping into the local convenience store, maybe saying hi to the employees, in case they need to ask for help. Do the same for after school.
Have a system in place when the kids come home. Sometimes parents can be there, sometimes they can't. Having a plan, lets kids know what they should be doing. Have a list by the door with whatever you want done. If they need to do homework first, if they can relax and have a snack first. How long? What kind of snacks? Can they have screen time? How long? However way it works for your family, cause it's different for everyone.
You can have them take their lunchboxes to the kitchen and clean them out first so that nothing is festering, especially on Fridays. To go along with the trial run, you can get some worksheets online or a workbook for your child's grade level to get them back in the habit of doing school work. It's a nice way to ease them into it and can give them a heads up on the kind of work they will have this year.
After all that, you should be set up pretty well. Kids operate better on a routine. That's why, sometimes, it seems like their teachers can control the kids better. Or they're just magical beings. It isn't easy but it can be done!
Have a great school year!
