It’s the last week before school officially starts and I’ve been preparing myself for it—mentally, through my surroundings, as well as preparing the kids. I’ve listed some ideas below on how to prepare for the back-to-school madness.

Preparing for Back to School

PREPARING THE KIDS

I’m making my kids go through anything school related (their backpacks, desks, school supplies). Making sure that only what’s needed is on their desks and in their bags. Have them recycle all the previous year’s paperwork if it’s still on their desks. Make sure their desks are clean! That way they can start the year without any distractions.
Make sure the kids’ closets are cleaned out. The closets should only have clothes that fit. Any clothes that didn’t fit my kids were donated. I also purchased clothes that they needed.
Have the kids start waking up and sleeping earlier now. I don’t want them to struggle waking up next week. I’m preparing the kids to go back into the “school hour” time frame.
Make sure the kids know how to use their planners. I’m teaching them how to use their planners and trying to get them to look at it every day. Not all kids are naturally organized so it’s good to prep them to start using their planners now (with their chore tasks) so they can apply it to their homework when school starts.

PREPARING YOURSELF

Clean out your office to make sure only the necessary items are in it. I’ve been filing away a lot of old files and making sure my office has all the necessary office supplies. I’m also purging things I no longer need in my office.
Get used to cooking a lot more and try new recipes that you can use during the school year. I have the time to learn new recipes now, so I’m taking advantage of trying new recipes. I’ve been focusing on recipes that use the slow cooker. During the school year, it’s easier on me if I cook in a slow cooker. I love cooking in a slow cooker since I don’t have to be home when I’m cooking the food. I typically don’t worry about the food once everything is in the slow cooker. Once the food is done cooking, the slow cooker automatically goes to the”warm” setting and warms up the food.
Purchase silicone baking cups to use as lunch box dividers (if you make lunches for your kids). I plan to offer a variety of food items in my kids’ lunches this school year. I ended up purchasing an assortment of colorful silicone baking cups which makes great dividers in my kids’ lunches.
Organize the section in your pantry that houses your kids’ lunch containers, water bottles, and snacks. I organized the containers and water bottles in my pantry so all the containers are nesting within each other. Now I have to stock the snack area of my pantry for my kids’ lunches this week.
Make your schedule match your the kids’ school schedule. I’m making sure I’m waking up when the kids are. I also don’t want to be struggling to get the kids to school on time.
List all the important school dates on your calendar and get your kids’ activities and school schedule on the calendar as well. I use Pocket Informant on my mobile device to get mine and my kids’ schedule organized. I probably spent an hour inputing my kids’ schedules on my mobile device. I like to know when my kids don’t have school or get out of school early. I make sure my calendar has an overview of everyone’s calendar because my 9th grade daughter has a different schedule than my 4th grade daughter.

I’m sure everyone is preparing for back to school whether you like it or not. 🙂 I find that the preparation ideas listed above has helped me feel better about the kids going back to school. The more prepared I feel, the easier it is for me to not get overwhelmed during this busy season. Good luck!