Before back-to-school hits in full swing, every household with school-age children should consider getting the home ready in advance. Since the school year brings with it sports, playdates, and homework, there are a lot of scheduling changes to contend with as summer transitions to fall. Mitigate some of the craziness of the transition by prepping these areas of your home in advance.
Purge the Pantry
The school season means sending snacks and sack lunches for many families. Make it easy to pack lunches and schoolyard snacks by going through your pantry and tossing any expired snacks or foods. Reorganize and bring any pre-packaged snacks to the front of the shelf for easy access. If your school has restrictions on certain foods due to allergens, be sure to set those items aside so they are not accidentally taken to school. This can also help your family inventory what needs to be purchased in your upcoming grocery trips, to ensure you have everything on-hand.
Assess the Closets
Back-to-school shopping is an annual tradition for most families. Whether your kids wear regular clothes or uniforms to school, some summer clothes will be too worn, stained, or small to wear outside of playtime. Now is an excellent time to take inventory of your children’s clothes to see what you may need for the coming school year. Donate any lightly worn or too-small clothing to someone in need or decide to host a summer yard sale before the school year picks up. Either way, you will know exactly what your kids need before you begin school shopping this year, which will make shopping a breeze.
Prep a Homework Space
Whether your kids tend to work on the kitchen table, or have their own desks for doing homework, now is an excellent time to ensure that any homework spaces have all the supplies they may need for the school year. From basics like calculators pens and pencils to bigger investments like laptops or tablets, now is the time to ensure that your child’s space has everything they need to be successful throughout the school year. If your child has a designated space within their room, help them reorganize and clean their room to create a calm and nurturing space that will foster their learning.
Getting ahead of the game can ensure that busy mornings are not more difficult due to a lack of organization.
