Back to School Ideas and Organizing

By Sara Thomson

Going back to school can be stressful for everyone involved. Organizing all the madness can prevent morning meltdowns but it can be tough to create calmness out of the chaos. Here are some tips and tricks to winning the back to school mayhem.

Making lunches can be a headache every night. Why not try to involves the kids and give them the responsibility of choosing their food. Dividing the foods into groups like fruits and veggies, drinks, proteins, and sweets will give your kids some responsibility while still being able to control the food they eat. The kids can choose a sweet from the pantry, a drink in the fridge, a protein like cheese, nuts, or yogurt, and then two fruits and/or veggies. Giving the kids choices in their lunch makes sure that they will actually eat the food, instead of throwing away their food during lunch time.

Help the kids gets organized can also make back to school a breeze. With elementary school kids create a routine that they can follow every morning before school and when they come home from school. Make each child a work station for homework, give them their own supplies and create a personal space. Rewards for no complaints during homework time or getting a good grade can also help. Middle and high school age children can be tough to organize but there are ways. A homework or study area can give them their own area where they’ll feel comfortable but still be able to study for a test. A planner is another great way to help organize older school age children, they can pick one out that’s their favorite color. Writing down their homework, projects and tests will reinforce due dates so nothing will be missed.

There are a lot of papers that come home during the school year, and although the kids want to keep every art project and homework page it is unrealistic. Using a filing system can help keep some order, one file per year, per child to include key projects, papers from proud accomplishments, a test with a perfect score or their favorite art project of the year. This will keep clutter down while also preserving childhood school year memories.

There will be lots of pickups at school and drop offs at soccer and dance in the new school year so call Hometown for a new auto insurance quote or to update your auto policy so you don’t miss a beat.

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