It’s that time of year again! Summer break is coming to an end. This year I have 5 back to school tips that you can watch in the video above or read through the post below.
Check out these simple back to school tips for making the back to school transition easy so that you can start the school year off on a good foot.
Start easing the kids into a schedule
If you have a child, like mine, who has been staying up late. Or you have the other kind that likes to sleep in, start working on getting your kids back on a school schedule.
That means going to bed by a certain time and waking up early.
I have found instead of going cold turkey and starting this new schedule right away, easy into it in 15-minute increments is easier.
For example, if your child has been going to bed at 10 pm. Have him go to bed at 9:45 tonight. Tomorrow try 9:30.
Keep doing this until you get back to your 8 pm bedtime.
Also, start getting the kids on a schedule that mimics their school lunch schedule. Meaning have them eat there lunch and snacks around the time that they would at school.
This will help with their routine once they get back into the classrom setting.
Put a family calendar in a central location
With the new school year comes important dates like early release or teacher planning days.
To keep everyone on the same schedule, place a family calendar in a central location that everyone can see.
This could be the refrigerator, like me. Or you can have a dedicated command station that has the calendar and other important information.
Prepare before you shop
Go through your kid’s clothes and undergarments and remove the clothes that they have outgrown or no longer wear.
Also, take out the clothes that they probably shouldn’t be seen in because of holes or really bad stains.
Once you have done this, you can take inventory of what your child has and what they need more of to make complete outfits for school.
Quick example, my son loves shorts. I have cleaned out his closet and found that he only has one pair of shorts.
Now I know that I need to buy more shorts instead of stressing out about buying pants.
You can start organizing your child’s closet to make it easier to find items. And this makes it easier for them to access the clothes that they will need for school.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Get prepared by cleaning out your child’s closet first before going back to school shopping. #backtoschool” quote=”Get prepared by cleaning out your child’s closet first before going back to school shopping. “]
Also, check for your child’s school supply list. The easiest way that I have found to find this online is through the Wal-Mart app.
Click the menu button on the top left and scroll down and click on “Back to School.” Then enter your zip code and press “search.”
From there, a list of schools in your zip code will populate. Choose the school and your child’s grade.
There you will find your child’s school supply list. To make life even easier, you can shop online and have these items delivered so that you can beat the crowd.
Florida has their tax free weekend August 3-5. You can save some money during this time on clothes, school supplies, and laptops.
Don’t forget to check to see if your child needs a new backpack!
Control your mornings
Instead of having a chaotic morning start getting them under control now.
For instance, if you have a child that takes longer to wake up and longer to get dressed, start waking that child up a little earlier.
This will allow them to have more time to get up and hopefully they will get up on time so that they are not running late.
Learn from the year before.
Take inventory of what worked and what didn’t work last school year. If you noticed that making the kids lunches the night before made mornings easier make sure to keep that in your routine.
Now you can start making changes to make life easier for yourself and the kids by putting together an improved routine for this school year.
There you have it. Back to school tips that are sure to make this time of transition smooth for you and the kids.
And in the end, will make you a happier mom. Let me know what you do to get back into the routine for school in the comments below.
Thanks! Yes. Preparing before you shop helps with buying unnecessary items or purchasing duplicate items. I have done this many this with grocery shopping. I think that we are out of ketchup and buy the biggest bottle of ketchup only to come home and find an unopened bottle of ketchup in the pantry. LOL.
Great tips! I love the prepare before you shop tip. I tend to but so many unneeded things.
I agree! It really can make a world of difference if we make minor changes from the previous year. Thanks for stopping by.
Love the tip, learn from the year before. How many times do we not learn from how we previously have done something. Great post 🙂 thanks for sharing:)
Yes! Senior year for your daughter already sounds super busy at your house. Having those schedules in advance will definitely help with preparation. You are right. It is easy to underestimate everything that comes with the extra activities. I know I have underestimated the cost many times.
I know you are super proud of her graduating soon and I wish you both the best!
Yes! I am guilty too! I love pens. I have to do my best to stay away from them when I go shopping.
Preparing really does help you reason when those cute pens are on display. 🙂
Thanks! Yes, I didn’t mention homeschool families, but you are right. It does work for them too. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks! Yes, morning times can be rough. But when you have a little more control over the mornings the days go by some much better.
They are all excellent tips! I especially love the one about controlling your morning. I have to say that’s my biggest struggle!
I like the idea of seeing what worked and what didn’t the year before. Every family’s situation is unique and taking that individuality into consideration can save everyone a lot of stress. My daughter is involved in sooo many activities that I already have started asking her to pass me the schedules and fees associated with what she plans to do. In the past, I have underestimated the time, energy and money required to keep on top of all this. She’s a senior this year, but I am determined to get the jump on this crazy start to the school year now! Thanks for reminding to work smart; not hard! ??
Great tips-a lot of them work for us as a homeschool family as well!
Yes to prepare before you shop! I hadn’t realized my son needed so many new pants and I realized that I should have used my budget to get more pants and not shirts haha. And it keeps from those impulse buys of cute folders and pencils for no reason. Hooray for back to school season!