Let’s Get Organized: 5 Organization Ideas You Should Consider
It’s that time of year, time to hit your local Target, Wal-Mart or Office Depot for backpacks and notebooks, get back into a normal sleep schedule (and start setting the alarm clock!), and get the kids ready to go back to school. Every year, parents across the country all swear that this is the year they get organized – homework is done on time, healthy lunches are packed, and there are always clean socks ready to wear.
Wardrobe Inventory
Before you go shopping for school clothes, take some time to clean out closets and dresser drawers so you’re not adding unnecessary items. Anything your kids haven’t worn in the past year immediately goes into the donation box, and anything left, ask your child to try on. Get his or her opinion on each item too, because, as parents all know, if they don’t like it, they won’t wear it. Once you’ve got a clean closet with only clothes your child can and will wear, you can get an accurate look at what he or she needs for the school year.
A Week’s Worth of Outfits
How hard is it to pick out pants, a shirt, and find socks? Well, any parent of a seven-year-old knows that it’s almost impossible, especially at 7:00 A.M, especially when cartoons are on, and ESPECIALLY when he or she thinks shorts are perfectly acceptable when it’s 27 degrees outside.
Cut down on the morning chaos by laying out a week’s worth of outfits on Saturday or Sunday. Have your child help you pick out outfits so you’re both in agreement. Hang up shirts and pants together on the same hanger and use extra clips to keep socks and underpants right there with it. All your child has to do is grab the hanger, change, and they’re on their way!
Grab and Go Snacks
When “I’m hungry,” is the first thing you hear when your kids walk through the door, make it easy for them to grab a quick snack before homework by keeping a snack basket in the fridge that is easy for them to graze when they get home. String cheese, yogurt, pre-portioned bags of strawberries, grapes, or veggie slices with ranch dip are great options that will keep them happy without ruining dinner.
Create an “Unloading Station”
Backpack, jacket, shoes, socks, papers…instead of leaving a trail of breadcrumbs, your kids leave a trail of stuff. In your foyer, mudroom, or location near where they come in, set up a place for everyone to have an unloading station. Set up a four-cube storage unit (each child gets two, so you may need to get larger units!), and each child has a cube for shoes, a storage bin for gloves, hats, and other stuff they need as they’re going out the door or coming in. Over that, hang two hooks – one for a coat and one for a backpack, and you’ve instantly cut back on clutter!
A Dedicated Homework Spot
Create a dedicated homework spot in your home for your child where they can focus in peace and where homework won’t get lost. Check out our blog on creating an office space for ideas on how you can repurpose space in your home for your kids’ homework nook, and let them help you design and decorate it.
Also, this homework spot allows you to create storage space, either in drawers or a cart beside the desk or through floating shelves above the desk, where you can store extra school supplies including glue sticks, glitter, markers, crayons, and art supplies for projects, in addition to notebooks, pencils, and paper clips.
Getting organized before school starts will help you stay stress-free for the year. With your home neat and organized, this is the first step toward staging if you choose to sell your home this school year!
