Going back to school can be an exciting time, but also an exhausting time especially for the family with multiple children in school. Here are some tips to start the year off right and keep each child’s items organized.
Find a spot that you want to be the school spot. This could be a shelf in the mudroom or a corner in the kitchen. It needs to be a place where you can have one bin per child.
If you have room it is nice to have hooks above the bins where bookbags can be hung to keep everything in one place.
Select a bin style and size that is going to work for your children. It needs to be big enough that papers can lay in it and not have to be folded, but you don’t need one so big that it will hold the random science project. Have the children involved in selecting their bin. They will be more willing to use it if they have some input. Once the bins are purchased, have each child’s name written clearly and large on the front of the bin. Each bin can be customized if your family wants to with stickers, marker drawings, etc.
As you find sales on school supplies over the summer, place those items in the appropriate child’s bin. (Here is the tricky part of having the child leave it in the bin until school).
Before school starts, go over expectations of the system with your children. When they come home from school, they empty their backpack and place items in the bin that do not need to be in the backpack, need to be reviewed by a parent, or are homework items (for younger children). Older children should be able to take their homework to the designated spot to complete. You as the adult now can quickly go through the bins and take out the extra toys that went to school or the permission slip that needs to be signed and have everything back in the bin ready to be put in the backpack the next morning. I like having the children put their stuff in their bag in the morning because I can set their lunch there and they can grab it at the same time as all the other stuff. It just saves another step.
Everyone does better in an environment that is organized and learning those skills is one of the greatest lessons you can teach your children. By keeping your house in order, you can discover what you really want to do with your time.
