Back to Life, Back to Reality

School season is upon us! With more than a decade of back to school experience, our family has created some best practices to minimize the stress with four important zones.

COMMAND CENTER

This is a must have with multiple kids, schools and extracurriculars. Designate a wall space in a high traffic area like the mudroom, kitchen or entryway and include:

  • A family calendar, color coded is even better. I personally have been eyeing these digital wall calendars

  • A folder or vertical file for each kiddo for easy access to their related school or activities information. Think field trip info, school event details or forms.

  • A bulletin board or magnetic board to display party invites, appointment reminders or takeout menus.

SUPPLIES CLOSET

Having one spot in your home is key to using what supplies we already have, saving money and storing backstock to be able to grab and go throughout the year (all the glue sticks, #2 pencils, red pens, folders and composition notebooks please). Here are a few space ideas for storing your kids supplies:

  • Hall or coat closet

  • Bins on an upper shelf in a closet (guest room or master bedroom preferably)

  • Plastic tote or bin tucked away in a storage space or in the mudroom.

  • A few drawers in a piece of furniture, perhaps in the den, dining room or a lesser used guest room.

LUNCH STATION

I’m so glad I delegated packing lunches to my kids years ago, and keeping the essentials within reach makes it easy peasy. Be sure to include:

  • Reusable lunch boxes

  • Water bottles

  • Plastic or stainless bento boxes

  • Small thermoses for soup or warm lunches

  • Cutlery + Napkins

DROP ZONE

Make it easy when they come in the door by making accessible:

  • Hooks for backpacks + coats

  • A basket or shelf for shoes

  • A basket or tray for incoming papers/art to process. After school, take action on what needs to be signed/returned or added to calendar. For art, when the basket is full it’s time to move it to keepsake bins or toss!

Your future self (particularly around the holidays or in crazy May) will thank you for setting these systems up early in the year.