5 Things You Can Do To Get Your Home Ready For The Busy School Year
August. It's officially back-to-school month he in the Flathead valley. August means taking your kids to school shopping for new clothes, notebooks, backpacks, and whatever else they may need for the year. Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $37.1B up according to the National Retail Foundation. That's a lot of school supplies. Each year, you feel pressure to get the latest and most excellent backpacks and technology or wear the newest clothing trends for your kids. With school approaching, it is essential to not focus just on getting the supplies your kids need for the classroom but to make sure you have the supplies and systems in place for the increased homework, activities, and take-home papers on the homefront.
Total back-to-school spending is expected to reach $37.1B up according to the National Retail Foundation.
Here are five things you can do to get your home ready for the busy school year. These five things will help you keep things organized, maintain a clean house, and teach your kid's responsivity.
#1: Have a Dedicated Area for Backpacks, Shoes, and Jackets
Wayfair Entry Closet
Home Depot Organizers
We have all been here before. You get home, tired from the day, and you want to throw your bag, shoes, and jacket on the floor. This habit will not only make your home look cluttered quickly, especially with multiple kids coming home from school, but it also doesn't teach kids discipline and intelligent habits. Instead, the goal is to have a closet or wall dedicated to each kid's bag, jacket, and shoes. Having dedicated space can be done with wall hooks and closet organizers. Implement a rule for no snacks after school until everything is hung up and put away. Having everything in one place, you will be able to quickly find things easier the following day and avoid being late for school or to the bus stop. It also makes it easy for you to find the needed paperwork for your kid's activities.
#2: Have a Place for Important Papers
The next thing you should have is a place where your kids can put the papers they need to be signed and addressed. Having a single wall file or one for each kid can help you get things addressed quickly. One idea is to have a place on the kitchen counter or home office area where you can put a file tray stack, one for "needs to be addressed" and another for "finished." These file holders keep papers from piling up and things getting lost. If you have room, then have a pair of file holders for each child.
#3: Use Whiteboards for Important Notes
DIY wall organizer from ETSY
Having a whiteboard in a central area can be the glue that holds everything together.
Whiteboards and dry erase markers should be your new favorite thing during the school year. Having a whiteboard in a central area can be the glue that holds everything together. Bonus if the board has a calendar potion for those notes that might be a week or month out. Get creative with this, use different colors, and use sticky notes and magnets to post extra vital information from the "finished" file. The school day isn't the only thing that happens every day. The weeks fill up with nightly activities from sports, clubs, or church functions. Having a central calendar and whiteboard will help you and your family through this busy year.
#4: Create a Chore Chart
As busy as this year can get, having a list of chores your kids are responsible for will give them structure and help you as the parent out. Use the whiteboard again to write to-do lists for your kids each afternoon. Keep them reasonable for their ages and daily workloads. Your kids have busy evenings to so keep that in mind. Learning discipline and responsibility are a part of every childhood, and it's a structure like this that will make them better adults later on in life.
#5: Be Patient and Focus on Relationships
Don't let relationships suffer during the school year. Take time and enjoy each other's company as a family.
Patience will be necessary. Raising kids has its moments, and there will be evenings you will want to get out and relax. It's essential to make regular days for you as couples or individuals to take time out for yourself at the start of the year. Find a neighbor and rotate watching kids once a week, or if you have older children, have them babysit as a part of their daily chore list once a week. In seasons like this, you might feel like you never see your spouse or that you are just a family taxi driver for your kids. Don't let relationships suffer during the school year. Take time and enjoy each other's company as a family. Date nights and regular family movie nights are both good things to start during the school year.