Carpets & Flooring
CRI Articles
IEHA Articles
IICRC Articles
Features
Mechanics slide under big yellow buses. Store clerks hang backpacks five deep on hooks running the entire length of the aisle. Teachers snip out new letters and shapes for bulletin boards. Everyone’s getting ready for back to school. Of all the people involved, parents have the longest organizing list of all.
To help make sense of what needs to get done in the weeks before school starts, I’ve compiled a helpful list for The Housekeeping Channel’s readers.
Don’t delay on the basics of school enrollment and physical exams or shots. Following that, make sure you’ve lined up transportation or arranged carpools. Do you need before or after school care? Slots with programs or sitters fill up fast. Put care plans into action.
Get Organized
Make sure the house is equipped with a big calendar for parents to use. Visit your school district’s Web site and print out the school year calendar. Transfer the holidays and activities onto your calendar.
Work with Your Child on Their Room
End of summer is a great time to get that clutter cleared. Sort clothing by season and then see if it still fits. Write a shopping list for back-to-school clothing and shoes.
Make an easy place to organize outfits for the week. You can use a hanging sweater organizer to hold folded outfits. Or, you can add hanging tags to your hanging bar, creating labeled space for each day of the week. Matching up outfits for a week at a time eliminates a lot of early morning stress.
Plan Ahead for a Smooth Homework Time
Clean and organize a homework spot. Talk with your child ahead of the school year about your expectation for their homework routine. Stock up on school supplies and create a school supply cabinet for homework and projects.
Stock Up on Supplies
Look at your calendar and make a time to shop for clothing and shoes. Purchase PE clothes or sports equipment needed. Get a school supply list from school and shop for supplies. Make sure to label everything.
Get in Routine
Begin to ease into the school year routine by having dinner and bedtime on schedule the week prior to school starting. Talk to your child about the upcoming school year routines for homework, after-school care and any other routines or habits you want to begin. This is a good time to establish a place to put backpacks and necessary items for the school day. This habit can keep you and your child organized on busy mornings.
Most important, make sure to spread these tasks out over the coming weeks. While exciting, a new school year, a new teacher and maybe even a new school is very taxing on a child. Saving everything to do at the last minute is very stressful for you and your child. Doing it a bit a time helps them to feel calm, prepared and organized for the new school year.
©Lea Schneider, professional organizer
Professional Organizer Lea Schneider’s organizing advice has appeared in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Rolodex Office Makeover Challenge. Her team of professional organizers, at 
