5 Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Back to School
August 22, 2024 - Dayle Stahl
As summer winds down and the new school year approaches, it’s the perfect time to start preparing your home for a smooth transition back to school. From organizing supplies to creating designated areas, here are five essential tips to help you get your home ready for the upcoming school year.
1. **Create a Homework Station**
Setting up a designated homework area can greatly improve focus and productivity. Choose a quiet, well-lit spot in your home, ideally with a desk or table where your child can comfortably work. Equip the area with necessary supplies like pencils, paper, notebooks, and a computer or tablet if needed. A clutter-free, organized space helps reduce distractions and sets a positive tone for study time.
**Tips:**
1. Use bins or drawer organizers to keep supplies neatly sorted.
2. Personalize the space with motivational quotes or your child’s artwork. 3. Ensure the area is equipped with good lighting to prevent eye strain.
2. **Declutter Your Entryway**
Every home has one, the designated “dumping ground.” Mine is the kitchen table. Other places may be the floor or a chair. Create a space in your home where the family can come in and have a designated spot to hang coats, backpacks, etc. This is also a great place to keep the family calendar, homework assignments and car keys, because we all know we lose those!
Tips:
1. Have the family calendar close to this area where folder’s and important papers for school can be kept. I can’t be the only one who is always losing my car keys.
2.Hang some hooks for coats, backpacks and keys.
3.Keep a tray or bowl handy for random “pocket” items so they don’t end up in the washing machine.
3. **Organize the Kids’ Bedrooms and Clothes**
We all know what it’s like when our kids can’t find that one shirt! Chaos usually erupts. Organizing the kids’ rooms will help keep the morning chaos to a minimum because they won’t have to go looking for their clothes buried in the back of the closet.
**Tips:**
1. Keep dressers neat and organized by labeling each drawer: t-shirts, jeans, socks etc. 2. Make sure to remove and box up any clothes that do not fit anymore.
3. Closet organizers with bins work great for keeping shoes organized.
4. **Declutter and Organize your pantry**
Making lunches and packing snacks is so much easier when you can find what you’re looking for in your pantry. Plus, there is something about an organized pantry that just makes you feel like you’re doing something right as an adult!
**Tips:**
1. Storage containers and labels work wonders in the pantry.
2. When you are organizing, think about how the grocery store is set up and use it as a key to help you place items.
3. If you keep sugary snacks in the house put them on the top shelf so they are out of your line of sight. This is more of a tip for me, than my kids!
5. **Plan weekly Meals**
Keeping a meal prep calendar for dinner during the week is crucial to stay on track and provide healthy meals. Let’s face it, when I don’t plan ahead, we end up hitting the drive through on busy sports nights. It’s not good for our wallets or our bellies!
**Tips:**
1. I recommend finding a good cookbook or website where you can find all kinds of great recipes. You can also save them from social media.
2. On the weekend find the recipes for dinners you want to make for the upcoming week & make your grocery list according to the recipes. Add each meal to the planner and keep the recipes handy.
3. Prep as much as you can when you have time, this makes throwing dinner together so much faster.
Conclusion
Preparing your home for the back-to-school season can make a significant difference in how smoothly the transition goes for both you and your kids. By creating a conducive study environment, organizing, decluttering and prepping spaces in your home, you set the stage for a successful and stress-free school year. Embrace these changes and enjoy the fresh start that a new school year brings!
Feel free to adapt these tips to best suit your family’s needs, and here's to a fantastic school year ahead!
