Back to school can be an exciting and very stressful time for families as kids and parents alike have to just to brand new routines. Between new classes, school sports, and general schedule changes, there is a lot to balance when back-to-school season starts. Clever solutions can go a long way to make the beginning of the year and the school year as a whole feel smoother.
Grab-and-Go Lunches
Pre-making and freezing sandwiches is a clever hack that can make mornings a breeze. Simply make a week or two’s worth of sandwiches, wrap them individually and freeze them in a freezer saved baggie. Each morning, simply grab a sandwich and pop it in the lunch box. It will thaw by lunchtime and help keep the rest of the items cool. Freeze nut butter and jelly sandwiches, or cream cheese and deli meat sandwiches, just avoid freezing veggies. For added variety, opt for bagels, croissants and different flavored breads to keep food interesting and add a new flavor to a standard sandwich lunch.
Outfit Organizers
For elementary aged children mornings can be a struggle. It can be difficult as parents to get kids out the door on time while trying to balance giving growing kids the autonomy they need to accomplish tasks on their own in the morning. Use a hanging organizer that has five compartments labeled for each day of the week every sunday, pre-select outfits and place them in each compartment to avoid morning outfit dilemmas. This allows kids to get ready on their own but have everything available to ensure that the process goes quickly and efficiently.
Create a Meal Plan
Create a weekly menu planner for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. This helps streamline grocery shopping and meal prep, ensuring healthy and easy options are always available. Keep your schedule in mind when meal planning and prepping, using slow cooker meals, pre-packed smoothie items, and easy lunch ideas to your advantage on days with packed schedules. If you are new to meal planning, there are even apps that can offer recipe suggestions and help you create grocery lists in the process.
Create a Landing Zone
Make a designated spot where kids can set their school gear when walking through the door. To keep things organized for young children, consider color-coding by child. Assign each child a color for their school supplies, backpack hook and any storage bins. This helps keep items organized and reduces confusion over whose items are whose.
