Staying Organized – Back to School Edition 2024

Back-to-school season stirs up a lot of feelings. From stress and chaos to relief for parents. For many parents, the summer has felt long as you try to keep your kids busy, so getting back into a school routine feels like a sigh of relief and order back into your home. The school year often brings strict schedules (bus pick up times, bus drop off times, after school sports, etc) and forces us to stick to a schedule and stay on task. This is where organization is key. Will you feel overwhelmed, maybe lose track of some daily chores, may clutter slightly build up, absolutely!

Here are a few back-to-school organization ideas that may be helpful for you and your family as you kick off the school year.

Photo – Jewish Family Services of MetroWest New Jersey

Homework Caddy

Having your child’s school supplies in a designated spot at home will help save your time and energy

When it is time to do homework, your child can easily grab their tote, basket or bin with pre-designated school supplies and get right to work. These caddy’s are meant to help save you time so you are not looking for items frequently used for homework (think scissors, glue, colored pencils, pencils, markers, paper, etc).

Photo Credit – Kara Creates

These caddy’s can be great DIY projects you do as summer is wrapping up or the early part of the school year.

Go to your local craft store and get a bin and paint it. Maybe a shower caddy and put some stickers on it. Or a basket with some paint! Let your child’s creativity shine. The more they are engaged and a part of the process, the more likely they will find some joy in getting their caddy when its homework time!

Homework Station

Think about how much more productive you are when you have a dedicated space to do something.

Our kids also need that dedicated space to thrive. Set up a homework station in their rooms, the rec room, or maybe the dining room table that you use one time a year. When our kids know where to do their homework (v on the couch laying down, in front of the television, or in their beds) each day, grab their caddy, and sit to do their work – it will quickly become routine.

Photo Credit – Casper Interiors

Don’t have space in your home for a dedicated space? That’s ok!

Do homework on the kitchen counter or table so they can be close to you and you can help answer questions as they come up.

Chore Chart

Let’s be honest. Sometimes we let things slide during summer break: schedules, what we eat, and chores. When school starts, our focus in getting back into a routine, homework, and after school activities. Chores may be the last thing on our minds, but still need to get done.

Photo credit – Abbies House

Making a chore chart that is easy to visualize who gets what chore and when it is done may be easier than you think.

You can leverage printable chore versions from Etsy or Pinterest. You can create your own with a magnetic baking sheet.

The main goal, to keep it simple and easily accessible for everyone. This ensures everyone is doing their chores (reducing your stress!) and helping teach your kids responsibility.

Designated Spot for Backpacks

How many times have your kids left a trail around the house when they get home from school? Don’t let them get in the habit of leaving their items all around the house.

Photo credit – Casper Interiors

Have a designated spot for each member of your family helps keep everything in its place. This will eliminate time wasted in the mornings trying to figure out where things are too!

If you are able to have both homework station and backpack spot near each other, it helps reduce the trails around your house too.

Time Management Clock

How many of us run late? We are constantly on the go – from back to back meetings, to running from work to after school activities to squeezing in family time – time always seems to be against us. I myself still have my moments, but generally stick to the same schedule and have kept our kids on the same schedule since they were toddlers.

Photo credit – Mommy Moment

Teaching your children time management is HUGE. The long term benefits will help set them up for success in later life. Please remember, it is not a one size fits all approach. Its what works best for you and your family.

Explaining to your children that you have designated times for certain activities: homework, play, eating, bedtime routine, and bed helps your children start to understand the concept of time and managing it.

I came across this simple and great way to show your kids that you can do together from Mommy Moment. It is so simple and a great visual way to help teach your kids the concept of time.

Outfit Tags

Your running late. The kids barely finished breakfast on time. You have to get the kids out the door in 5 minutes to make drop off on time to get to an appointment. Your child is not dressed because they don’t know what to wear. How many mornings has this happened to you?

Photo credit – The Charm It Spot

A great way to get ahead of those mornings is to carve some time out on Sunday and set your child's wardrobe with them.

There are great tags available from Pinterest, Etsy, Amazon or you can make yourself! Decide what to wear together and put the tags on the hanger and put it back in their closet. When it is time to get dressed each morning, they will know what they are wearing already and prevent any meltdowns or running late!

School lunch/snack station

Lets be honest – lunch prep is A LOT of work. Does it have its benefits, absolutely. You can control what your child is eating and potentially save money. But it does come at a cost – time. Time to grocery shop, meal prep, and make/cut/prep/assemble. Sometimes, we just don’t have that gift and let our kids have hot lunch from school.

What is a busy parent supposed to do about after school snacks? Many times, we are often exhausted by end of the day and our kids may eat whatever they find in the pantry, resulting in ruining their appetites for dinner or eating sugary snacks.

So what can you do? Create bins for your fridge and pantry with pre-packaged various lunch or snack items. For example, you may have bins that have prepackaged fruits, veggies, snacks, and proteins. Your child can grab one from each bin and they have their lunch or maybe they can grab 2 items after school and have their snack.

Photo credit – IHeart Organizing

Easy. Organized. A little less chaotic in your mornings.

Your kids can be a part of the assembly process each Sunday to learn the importance of why you are doing this and you have parent approved lunches/snacks ready to go!