15 Tips to Help Your Family Get Ready for Back to School

Back to school is happening my friends!  It doesn’t matter how much you wish it away, it is going to come up swiftly.  If you are anything like me, you are looking to make sure that the back to school rush goes as smoothly as possible.  I know it’s possible to do, we just need to follow a couple of tips and tricks to make it happen.

 

If you are looking to make your back to school rush a little easier, here are 15 tips to help your family get ready for back to school:

1.  Adjust bedtime.  For the last few weeks of summer, adjust your kids’ bedtime by 10-15 minutes to get them used to going to sleep early again.
2. Alarm clocks.  By the first or second grade your child should have their own alarm clocks and be getting up on their own.  If they aren’t yet doing this, get them each their own clock.
3. Meal schedules.  Again, a couple of weeks before school starts, get your kids eating on the same schedule that they will be on during the school days.
4. Pre-pack lunches.  Set a weekly schedule to pack school lunches so your mornings can be easier.  I like to do this twice a week.
5. Prepare easy breakfasts.  I like to meal plan and that means breakfast too!  School mornings go much more smoothly when breakfast can be grab and go.
6. Talk about it.  We may forget how stressful it was to be a kid, but back to school is nerve wracking for kids.  Be sure and talk to them about the things they are nervous for and how you can help or how they can help themselves.
7. Don’t schedule too much.  Back to school is exciting, but you might think about not over-scheduling yourself or your kids right from the start.  Ease into extracurriculars slowly.
8. Let them choose their clothing.  Once your kids reach a certain age, it’s best to let them choose their own clothing.  It may not be the same clothing you would choose, but it will prevent lots of headaches.
9. Have them set out their clothes weekly.  Every Sunday have the kids set out their weeks worth of clothes to save time in the mornings.
10. Create a snack drawer.  Save time when making lunches by creating lunch box cabinets and snack drawers.  This way the kids can just reach in and grab the items needed for their lunches each morning.
11. Plan transportation in advance.  If the kids are riding the bus, be sure to sign them up and get to know the bus stop and route.  If you are driving them or having someone else drive them, make sure you have it scheduled all in advance.  You don’t want to be stuck trying to find a ride last minute.
12. Look at all drop-off options.  The school drop off list can be a massive time waster in the morning.  Look into all areas near the school to see if there are other options.  You can easily be stuck in that line for 20+ minutes otherwise.
13. Go back to school shopping early.  Have you ever waited until the last minute to go back to school shopping?  It’s a nightmare and you don’t want to do it again.  Be sure to schedule this into your schedule earlier in the summer.
14. Create shopping list.  Do not go shopping for back to school without bringing a list. You don’t want to forget anything.
15. Enjoy your summer.  Don’t spend too much of your summer worrying about school.  Make sure to end your summer with some fun!

It’s hard to believe that it’s time for us to start getting ready for school, but indeed it is.  I don’t know about you but my son starts school on August 15th.  So we are looking to end our summer with as much fun possible…and some last minute summer reading! LOL!!  How are you ending your summer?

 

[latoyia]