7 Awesome Back-to-School Organizing Tips
I know, I know.
You don’t want to hear about back-to-school organizing when you just got into your summer groove, but the truth is, the new school year is just around the corner and there are some things you can do now to make going back to school a breeze. (And be sure to sign up for the giveaway listed at the end of this post!)
[Giveaway Now Closed]
Declutter First
Now is the perfect time to start organizing your home for the upcoming school year. To start you will probably want to declutter some of your stuff to make room for new school year purchases. Check to see what clothes and shoes still fit, what backpacks can be re-used and what toys your child no longer loves. Donate anything in decent condition that you won’t be using.
Organize Your Home
Once you’ve made some extra space by decluttering, it’s time to organize your home to make sure it functions well for you during the busy school year.
Make sure that you have a place for everything your kids will need to use on a daily basis and let them know where things go. You can also organize their clothing so school clothes are easy to find.
Create Routines
There’s a lot that needs to be done on school days, but you can make sure your home runs more efficiently by implementing routines. A morning routine can help your children get ready more quickly and an evening routine can help you get the kids to bed on time. Make a checklist for each child so you don’t have to nag them constantly.
Implement After Dinner Prep
Mornings will be a lot less crazy if you can prepare as much as possible the night before. Make it a habit to start preparing for the next day as soon as you are finished with dinner by placing backpacks in your GoZone, having your kids choose their outfits for the next day and preparing lunches and snacks.
Feed Your Freezer
Feeding your family doesn’t have to be the most stressful part of your day. Take some time now before school starts (and on the weekends during the school year) to prepare some meals for your freezer. Search “freezer meals” or check out my Freezer Cooking Plans HERE.
Make Breakfast Easy
To simplify mornings even more prepare easy breakfast items ahead of time such as muffins, breakfast bars, fruit and waffles.
You can grab my five favorite make-ahead breakfasts plus my 1 Week of Breakfasts in 1 Hour Freezer Meal Plan as part of the Mom’s Back to School Bundle available now.
Stay Stocked Up
Ever run out of toilet paper? Avoid last-minute runs to the store by keeping all of your everyday needs stocked in your home. (Check out my favorite Amazon household deals HERE). Preparing before you need to not only saves time and money, but your sanity too!
Happy Planning!
Want Back-to-School to feel like this?
You need the Mom’s Back to School Planner Bundle.
INCLUDING:
- back-to-school timeline to keep you on track and organized!
- the scientifically researched technique to help your child maximize his study time
- the one “trick” to get your kids to bed without a struggle (with testimonials that it works!)
- the 3 organizational zones you need to create in your home now to stay organized all year long
- my weekend prep plan to keep your school days stress free
- 28 theme meal ideas to make meal planning a snap plus over 50 dinner ideas and recipes!
- printable hand-illustrated lunch box notes
PLUS lots more!
Right now you can grab the entire bundle ($45 value) for just $12 with code READY18.
Hi ,Kimberlee!
I almost don’ t comment, but I am here today to say I read all your posts and that your blog is really making a difference in my life.
I guess I am blessed, because my child loves to go back to school!
Anyway, we need to be organized and make everything works fine… in the USA or in Brazil. I guess we moms deal with the same issues.
Thank you very much for spending time helping us with your experience.
You are a blessing for us!
Thank you so much Sandra! I LOVE hearing that what I write is making a difference, and I am so happy that your child loves going back to school. That is a blessing!
My biggest struggle is keeping everyone’s schedules in line. I tend to be scatter brained lol so it can be difficult at times haha.
That is challenging! I have to put everything in my phone calendar or we’re lost.
In the past, my biggest struggle was the school supply shopping! UGH. Our school would even give the brand needed of glue and pencils! Was not the cheap stuff either! This year though…they had an option to pay the school and all the supplies would be in his desk on the first day of school. We did it! It might cost a bit more….but….so worth not have to shop around for all that stuff.
I also have a hard time getting organized for the new school year!!!! I really need help in that department!
That is an interesting idea Laura. I’m glad that at least that stress has been eliminated. 🙂
My biggest struggle is sticking to a budget. I think Back-to-school is more expensive than Christmas!! With 3 boys in school, it is very expensive!
I think you may be right Denise — it has become the pre-Christmas Christmas!
My biggest struggle is adjusting my schedule to go to sleep early and wake up earlier. We are night owls in my family. It will be more difficult this year because my son will be in middle school now an we will all have to wake up even earlier.
That is so difficult when you are naturally a late nighter. My hubby is a total night owl and he is really not happy when he has to get up earlier than normal.
My biggest struggle is helping my daughter ease her anxiety about starting school. She experiences this every year even though she is going to the same school.
Aw, poor baby! I pray that she can find peace this year.
My biggest Back to School struggle is the supply shopping. Not the going out and doing it but knowing when to stop buying things because the deals are sooo good. Because I always go overboard. :o)
Haha — Same!
I taught elementary grades 1-4 for 15 years so I could write a novel about back-to-school experiences. As a teacher the biggest struggle I had was that the district set our supply lists & it didn’t resemble what I wanted or needed for my classroom at all.
Advise: 1. Call or email the new teacher before “meet the teacher night,” or the first day of school. Ask her what items she wants students to have. Most importantly, ask the teacher what are items she doesn’t want or allow in the classroom. 2. Don’t spend money of trendy items. They’ll fall apart, get lost, or taken away. If you spend less you can buy more. In January when a newsletter comes home asking to have supplies replenished, you’ve already taken care of it.
Such great advice Suzy — thanks!
My biggest challenge is sticking to new routines, habits and also juggling the “unknown’s” as well as homework, sports, activities, etc. I think maybe my ability to be flexible and still maintain the routines/habits that I know work, is my challenge? Hmmm….I also struggle with continuing after the school year starts, as well as helping my kids become more independent (I always have good intentions, but once things start feeling stressful, I wind up throwing those out the window in an attempt to control, micro-manage, and get it all done….myself! Not the best method at all!)
Let’s face it, life with kids is just challenging. I think it’s difficult for everyone to maintain the routines all of the time, but when you “fall off the wagon”, just get back up and try again the next day, right?
My biggest struggle is desperately wishing I could make the kids transition to being more self-reliant. I find it hard to believe that I need to drag them through each task that needs to be done in the mornings! I am going to study your tips for routines/checklists so we can hopefully be more independent. It’s got to be a self confidence boost to know they don’t need their mom to remind them… of EVERYTHING???
Do you have a chart for each of the children listing what they need to do? I find that my kids loved checking off their lists and especially when I offered an in ve give once everything was done. It takes a little bit of work at the beginning, but it’s so worth it.
My biggest struggle is trying to keep my oldest child motivated. Whether it be clothes shopping, supply shopping, getting up early, or even starting school. It is always a struggle.
That is a challenge. Maybe you can discover some things that your child is interested in and use them as incentives.
My biggest struggle as a homeschooler is planning the flow and curriculum for the entire year for 3 different grade levels before school starts while also planning activities for a toddler. I don’t have to get every detail, but it’s still a lot of work and adjustments always need to be made each year. Our daily flow during school days is also very different than the flow when we are not schooling, so planning a good transition and a good daily flow for this particular year with all the changes it brings is also a challenge.
Oh goodness, I remember those days Sara. I tried to combine science and history with everyone so I could stay sane, but having a toddler thrown in the mix just make things crazy sometimes. My best advice on this side of it (all but one have graduated), is to focus on loving them well, reading aloud together and teaching them spiritual connection, life skills, and character. You can do this!
Thanks Kimberlee. Always a good reminder! Btw I tried my twist on your “Muffin Omelettes” for supper last night and everyone loved them! I was able to individualize them for the different kids’ likes/dislikes which was great.
That is an AWESOME idea Sara — great for picky eaters!
My biggest challenge is encouraging my son to have a positive attitude about the school year. He is so reluctant to go back to school.
Poor thing! Hopefully he will feel better once classes actually start.
My biggest struggle is shopping.. For anything. I ask my son, “Do you need new shirts (mind you, his tees have holes as big as silver dollars)? He says ,”No.” He has a single pair of pants for school since the rest wore out. Need new pants? No. How about sneakers? No. Haircut? No. The list goes on and on….
Maybe I should be happy with a low maintenance kid. But I end up paying full price when he finally decides he needs something. I think planning is a great idea . I wish he thought so too!
Oh my goodness — my husband is the same way. He hates shopping.
My biggest struggle comes about 30-45 days after school starts! I’m always super organized and on top of things to start and then about a month in, things start to fall apart. I need to be better about sticking with routines, etc. I shared this on Pinterest and will be sure to revisit to try to keep things going later. Thanks for sharing the great ideas.
You’re right — it can be a challenge to keep the motivation going. I’ll try to post some reminders around that time.
My biggest struggle is getting back into the early morning routine of getting up by a specific time to be able to calmly get everyone to where they need to be. Even if it’s just a half hour sooner, it feels like WAY too early!!Lol!
It is way too early! ?
The biggest struggle I have is ALL the new clothes most kids have!!!!! Then their are others that don’t have anything new. Seriously do kids NEED that much stuff at one time when they probably have a closet full of things already. I know this is just a pet peeve of mine but kids can be mean & ugly. We have only bought 1 new shirt or dress for ours for the first day of school, our children has always had plenty& we buy as needed & when things are on sale.
Yes, my kids usually don’t need an entirely new wardrobe every year.
My biggest challenge is balancing the need to get ready with the desire to squeeze out every last bit of summer!
I know, I know. I want to just have fun too, but then I realize I’ll be happier later if I do a little bit of prep work. 🙂