Back to School Organization Checklist

 

I know that a lot of students and moms get anxious about going back to school. Life can get a little hectic and there is a lot to keep track of. Use these back to school organization ideas to make sure you and your kids are prepared to start the school year off right.

 

Nothing will ever be perfect and things will fall apart from time to time.

 

BUT these tips will hopefully help you stop rushing. Build yourself some systems and routines that will help the school year run smoothly, help you get more intentional time with your kids, and help you stain sain. 

 

And oh hey, before I was a stay at home mom/blogger was a middle school teacher for 7 years. I’m pulling my best mom tips, with my teacher brain on, to help you and your kids be successful. 

 

 

Build A Capsule Wardrobe for Your Kids

 

Shopping for back to school clothes is always the first thing on the back to school list for moms. However, this year you might consider getting some capsule pieces for your son or daughters wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe consists of a few essential pieces that don’t go out of style.

 

Get them a few staple pieces that they can mix and match, and continue to wear throughout the rest of the school year. A capsule wardrobe will make deciding what to wear each day easier. Target is a great place to get staple wardrobe pieces.

 

Examples of Capsule Wardrobe Pieces:

 

• Quality Pair of Jeans
• Jean Shorts
• Jean Jacket
• Casual Tennis Shoes
• Cardigan
• Basic T-Shirts

 

…and mom, save yourself time by shopping online!

 

Daily Outfit Tags

 

In addition to a capsule wardrobe, you can make the mornings go more smoothly by getting their outfits ready a week in advance. Each Sunday night, have them help you get everything ready.

 

Hang everything your child will wear for a day on one hanger, including socks and underwear. Set up 5 different hangers and you’re ready to go! You can even hang a tag for each day of the week over the hanger as well. I found this free printable over at Grace and Good Eats. 

 

Get Your Calendar Ready

 

Schools will have new dates on the calendars before school even starts. Update yours with Back to School Night, Parent Teacher Conferences, Coach’s meetings, Youth Group, and whatever else your kids will be involved in. Update it every Sunday night so you are always aware of what is coming in the week ahead.

 

Put these dates on your personal calendar and/or a calendar where everyone can see them. This could be a calendar at a command station in your kitchen or an online calendar that the whole family can have access to, such as Google Calendar.

 

Google Calendar is great because you can set it so that everyone gets a reminder before the event. That way your high schooler remembers to go to their little sister’s volleyball game.

 

Set Up a Homework Station

 

Decide where everyone is going to do their homework. Will it be at the kitchen table or at a desk in their room? Having a quiet place for them to work and ask for help will ensure that they get their work done and can enjoy the rest of their evening.

 

Make sure you have some extra paper, pencils, etc. on hand so that they don’t have any excuse for not being able to get work done.

 

Supplies For Your Homework Station:

• supplies caddy
• pencils
• glue
• colored pencils/crayons/markers
• paper
• calculator
• ruler

 

Set Up a Drop Off Station

 

To prevent your house from being a mess have a system for where your kids will put their belongings when they get home. Otherwise, it will all be dropped on your living room floor.

 

What will they do with their shoes? Where do their backpacks go? Is there a place for papers to go that need to be signed? Having a system for this will make sure that nothing gets forgotten or lost.

 

Put some hooks by the door for jackets and backpacks. Have a basket to put shoes in so that they aren’t all over the floor (that’s my favorite way to “organize” our shoes). Place a small basket for keys, gloves, hats, etc. by the front door as well. 

 

Have An After School Routine

 

The back to school checklist for moms includes building-in routines at home. Routines help everyone know what is expected of them and encourage us to be more productive. It’s so easy for a student to come home after school, throw their backpack down and start playing video games. Before you know it, it’s time for bed and they haven’t done their homework yet.

 

Having a routine will ensure they get homework done, get chores done, have family time, and whatever else your family deems important. Here is an example of an after-school routine.

 

 

Be Ready The Night Before

 

Mornings will go a lot smoother if you put some night time habits in place. Here are the things that should be done the night before:

 

• Outfit picked out
• All homework and school supplies packed back up
• Lunches packed and ready to go in the refrigerator
• All forms and permission slips signed and filled out

 

Dry Erase Checklist

 

If your kids have a lot of things to do after school, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? Then a Dry Erase Checklist might be just the thing to keep them organized.

 

Get a dry erase board or make one your self with a picture frame and colorful piece of paper. Put anything you want on the list to help your student get done with their school work and feel more prepared for the days ahead. 

 

Meal Plan

 

The back to school checklist for moms must include meal planning.  Meal planning will ensure that you have a plan for each night and that you aren’t sending the high schooler out to grab McDonald’s. You want to start healthy habits from the beginning of the year.

 

Pinterest is a great tool to use when meal planning. You can find tons of ideas. Plus, you can grab my meal planning printables from my printables library to help you get started and keep it all organized.

 

 

Start Getting On a Sleep Schedule

 

At least a week before school starts, start getting your kids back on a sleep schedule. As a teacher, the first two weeks back to school were always the hardest because my body was adjusting to waking up earlier.

 

Set your kids up for success and start gradually going to bed earlier and have them wake up earlier. This way, their bodies aren’t in shock the first week of school.

 

I could always tell which kids were getting enough sleep and which kids were staying up late to text or play video games. It really makes a huge difference in their learning success.

 

Use this back to school checklist for moms and your kids will have a great start to the year. They will start the year off right and start building habits that will set them up for success for the whole school year.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for stopping by and reading. If you need more tips on being a productive mom, you have come to the right place. You can read more productivity tips and/or consider signing up for my mailing list. I’ll send you some free printables and a weekly newsletter with cleaning tips, declutter challenges, and tips for keeping homemaking simple and productive. Hope to see you there!