Back to school is a great time for kids to get things in order. And let’s be honest, fall is also a great time for adults to work on habits and scheduling – although you may no longer be in school, fall still makes you want to buy fresh running shoes and meet your new classmates! The 5 tips below focus on making your schedule run more smoothly regardless of your age.
1. Plan ahead – on Sundays go over what’s coming up in the week ahead to decide what needs to be done and what needs to be prepared. This is also a great opportunity to teach your child how to use their day planners. Keeping track of their schedule is a useful skill into adulthood and the earlier it’s learned, the more entrenched a habit it will be.
If the school doesn’t provide a planner, choose one for your child based on the type of learner they are – if you’re unsure, this learning style quiz gives a quick assessment. If your child is a visual learner, their planner should be full of photos and space for them to draw, etc.
2. Prepare the night before – rather than rushing around in the morning, pick out clothing, pack lunches and put homework in the backpack before your children go to sleep. Using something like this closet organizer, which organizes clothing by day, your children can be involved in the process of choosing what they’ll wear. Just make sure to check the weather before you decide!
3. Lunches – Make your Tupperware area is accessible to your children and have them take part in making lunches. It’s hard to complain about your lunch when you made it yourself.
Choose lunch Tupperware based on the type of meal your child most often brings – do they have 4 different options of what to eat? Then you’ll need a sectional container. If it’s just one option, take that into account as well. I love these freezable lunch bags, which make it so that you don’t need to worry about freezing ice packs.
4. Homework organization – color is a great way to organize homework. Provide your child with three hole punched, colored plastic folders - based on subject – red for math, purple for English, etc. Rather than having to bring entire binders home, they can bring home only what they need to use for the night’s homework and the matching colored folder can go back in with the matching binder the next day.
5. Excess supplies – Do we have more glue? Paper? Create an area in your home for excess school supplies and teach your family members to look there first before asking if you have extra _______. The trick is to put a sign up list next to the cupboard so that when something is about to run out, it gets written on the list. That way you can replenish before someone needs it again.
If you want to go a step further, you can create a supply list and have your children check off what is needed rather than having to write it down. Tape a pencil on a string to the cabinet door so the excuse of ‘I didn’t have anything to write with’ is a non-issue.
Rushing around in the morning trying to get everything done and ready is no one’s idea of a good time. Using the 5 tips above, create a plan for yourself that allows you to plan ahead and get things done the night before.
Try my tips and tricks above and let me know how it goes! You can email me at toritheorganizer@gmail.com and follow me on Instagram @toritheorganizer.
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