School will be back in session in one week. A key to smoother mornings and afternoons is organization. Professional Organizer Bonnielee Barrios gives parents some helpful back to school organizing tips to make life easier:
Create a Command Center
You need a place for all the incoming and outgoing paper to live.
I find that creating a space in the kitchen for this center is ideal since everything happens in the kitchen. First get a wall calendar so that you can write down all of the important dates coming up, birthday parties, outings, doctors’ appointments and so forth. They now sell calendars that you can peel off and stick on the wall — making it easier for you.
Have hanging folders on the wall, which are labeled incoming and outgoing or label one for each child. Then every one knows where the papers belong.
Another thing I like are the chalkboard or whiteboard decals that you can stick on the wall to write down family messages.
And having a Magnetic Homework Board for each child is a great help.
Meals and Snacks
Preferably get lunches packed the night before. This method also helps your child with independence and having responsibility.
Clean out your cabinets and designate baskets for afternoon snacks — you can label one for each child or you can label the baskets by category. This method also helps your child with independence and having responsibility.
My other tip is to use a Meal Planner for dinner. One I like is from a company called Mom Agenda, which lets you plan out all your meals for the week, making food shopping easier for you as well.
Clothes
With your children) go through their clothes before school starts to see what they have and need. Make it fun have a fashion show with thlike The Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair.
Picking out clothes for the week on Sunday night is helpful. Pick 6 outfits (have an extra one just in case) and designate a shelve in the closet or get a hanging shelve that you can attach to your clothing rod for each day of the week and keep everything together. Put everything your child will need for that particular day all together (i.e. items for sports or any afterschool activity.)
Have any other helpful tips? Share them in comments.