Back to school time can be stressful and exciting for the whole family, we must get back into a routine, get kids to bed on time and out the door on time fully prepared for the day ahead. With a little planning we can make the transition from summer fun to back to school a smooth process. Here are some ideas to save time and money by simplifying your day.

Have School Supplies Ready on Day One

Most schools put out a list of supplies before school starts, don’t wait to stock up. Get backpacks ready with all necessary supplies so kids are ready to go the first day.

Setup a Command Center

Pick a spot where each family member knows to go for information, you can use a calendar, cork board, dry erase board, a bin or basket for each family member that can hold their specific paperwork and other items, whatever works for you. Enter all school activities, due dates, practice times, appointments, and other information on the calendar so everyone knows the schedule, you can post permission slips, class schedules, and other family documents that need to be seen.

Post a Grocery & Supplies List

It’s never fun to get home from the grocery store only to find out someone needed something that you didn’t buy, prompting you to make another trip to the store. Post a list in your command center so that every member of the family can add to the list, make it a rule that if it is not on the list, they won’t get the item until the next shopping trip. Kids can add school supplies, lunch menu items, personal care items and anything else that is needed. I like to take inventory before grocery day to be sure I have all of the essentials, I also add to the list during the week as I am cooking and cleaning when I run out of an item. It makes shopping so much easier.

Organize Your Entry Way

Organize the entry way or an area in your home where purses, keys, backpacks, shoes, jackets, hats, gloves, boots, umbrellas, sports equipment and other items are kept in an organized way. Make sure everyone understands that this is where those items belong. This will save time and prevent stress when leaving and coming home, you won’t be looking for someone’s keys or backpack when rushing out the door. You might have bins, baskets or cubbies labeled with each family members name.

Homework Station

Have a designated are where each child does their homework, stock it with essential supplies like a laptop, printer, chargers, a dictionary, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, tape, scissors, rulers, calculator, notebooks and paper, glue, stapler, erasers, whiteout, and other items so kids have everything they need when doing their homework or other school projects.

Use Labels

Label everything your kids will be taking to school, supplies, clothes, backpacks, lunchboxes and other gear, kids misplace things, and their items can get mixed up with other children’s things. If everything is labeled, they will know what belongs to them and if they lose something there is a better chance it will be returned to them if their name is attached.

Organize Clothes Closets & Dressers

Go through each child’s closet before school starts, get rid of clothes, shoes and accessories that don’t fit or they no longer use. Organize their clothes so that they are easy to find, you can group clothes by category, color, day of the week or whatever makes sense to you. This makes getting dressed in the morning easier. You can set out clothes for every day of the week for each child on Sunday night or teach each child to lay out their clothes for the next day the night before to save time in the morning. You can use a hanging closet organizer and label a shelf for each day of the week and put everything they will wear each day on the appropriate shelf.

Use a Chore Chart

Use a dry erase board or chalkboard and write down each person’s responsibilities for the day, as chores are done, they can be crossed off the list, this makes it easy to complete daily chores and track each person’s progress.

Establish a Routine

Mornings work much better when each child knows what to do and what to expect, if you keep it consistent everyone will get out the door on time. You can use alarm clocks to get everyone up and timers that signal breakfast and out the door if that works for your family. Find a routine that is best for you and stick to it.

Do the same at bedtime, have a set bedtime, you might use a before bed check list displayed in their room, so they know what bedtime tasks they need to complete. Kids really do thrive on routine.

Make Healthy Snacks Easy to Grab

Most kid want a snack after school, let them help you shop for and prepare healthy, easy to grab snacks for the week. This saves you time because you will not be searching around for something for them to eat, they can grab the snacks themselves before getting started on homework. You can organize the food in storage bins in the refrigerator and pantry, each child could have their own bin with their name on it to make it even simpler.

Spend a Few Hours a Week on Meal Prep

Spending a few hours a week on meal prep is a huge time saver and it takes the stress out of making dinner each night. Plan out your meals for the week and add the supplies you need to your grocery list then prepare everything you can ahead of time so that you can just heat and eat most of the time at dinner. Chop up fruits and vegetables and store them in the refrigerator, casseroles and other meals can be cooked ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Crock pots are great and very versatile, Google crock pot recipes and you will find a ton of meal ideas.

Pack Lunches the Night Before

Kids can help choose their lunch foods and pack the night before, this saves a lot of time and rushing around in the morning.

Use clear plastic bins in the refrigerator and pantry and pre-package a variety of lunch items. Label each bin appropriately, for example, you might have a bin for snacks, fruits, vegetables, drinks, and other lunch items. Kids can pick an item from each container to put in their lunch box.

Organize the Bathroom

Organize the bathroom so that each person knows where to find their daily items, use baskets, or other organizers so that each person’s belongings are in their own container with their name on it, this saves time when getting ready in the morning.

Assemble a First Aid Kit

Every home should have an easily accessible, well stocked first aid kit. Accidents and medical problems happen, having all the necessary items in one place allows you to act quickly when something happens.

Final Thoughts:

These are just a few ideas to make life easier and keep everyone on the same page. And always spend a few minutes a day talking to your kids, life flies by and before you know it, they will be grown and on their own. According to neuroscientist Dr. Jaak Panksepp children’s routines can be broken up into nine important minutes each day. Dr. Panksepp explored what role parents play during these minutes. He says the larger the sphere of positive emotions that a child has with a loved one, the more likely they are to become a productive and happy member of society.

According to Dr. Panksepp, the nine most important minutes of our children’s days are:

The three minutes after they wake up.

The three minutes after they get home from school or daycare.

The three minutes before they go to bed.

Utilize those times with your children.