5 Back to School Organizing Tips

BY AMY BERGMAN

It is Back To School time! There is no reason to panic. While the thought of having to buy new clothes and school supplies can be daunting, having an organized plan will the be the key to making it fun and to your family's BTS success. I am here to help you with 5 Back to School Tips to get you and your family organized. Use the tips below that you feel will work for you and test them out. If they don’t work, try something else!

Now is the time to clean out your car. Get it ready for back to school time with items you will need for carpooling to and from school and getting to afterschool activities. Stock some non-perishable snacks and waters in your car, along with plenty of wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues and napkins. Have a trash can in your car. Make sure that you have some extra pencils, pens markers as well for those last minute homework completions. Does your kid need to “zone out “or just relax before or after school?--make sure that his or her tablet handy along with some charging devices. Want to get pumped for the day together in the car?--be ready with some some family friendly music or even a fun podcast.

Where do you and your family enter and exit your home for school and afterschool activities? Create a Entry/Exit/Command Center/Calendar/ Drop zone in that space---even if your floor plan tells you differently. Use bins, baskets, and hooks so that each person has a designated place to throw their stuff when they come in from school in the afternoon. Put up the school calendar(s) in this space so that important dates are visible to everyone, everyday. You can even frame it to make it aesthetically pleasing and if you use a dry erase marker you can easily write and erase on it! Where age-appropriate, have a separate place for important papers and things that need to be unpacked each day from the backpacks.

Get the kids closets together before school starts. Try grouping all like clothing together. For example, keep all T-shirts in one drawer and shorts and jeans and another, this will make picking out outfits a whole lot easier. Try file folding the kids clothes in their drawers so that they can clearly see everything that they have. Choosing outfits the night before each school day really illuminates more chaos in the mornings. Multiple wardrobe changes per day? Make sure dirty laundry hampers are accessible (consider ones without a lid) and in a convenient place.

Set up a station where your kids can get their work done and be organized for back to school. This may be the same area as last year or maybe a new one

needs to be created. If there is not a permanent space, try creating a caddy or cart with all of the things that they need such as pencils and pens, erasers and pencil sharpener‘s, rulers and tape etc. to move with them from room to room. Giving each child his or her own space or caddy will really help them have what they need. Pro Tip: The Dollar Store is a great place to find inexpensive bright colored caddies this time of year.

Depending on what your kids like to eat for lunch packing lunch and snacks, packing up the night before is always helpful even if you can just pack half the lunch or most of the lunch. This will definitely take some time off of your morning routines. Have your kids vote or weigh in on their top ten lunches for school so meal planning is easier. Create an accessible snack area in your kitchen or pantry where your kids can retrieve their own snacks each day. Hopefully these Back to School tips will get you motivated and excited for a successful and more organized school year. Don't forget, you can always ask for help, I am here to help! Contact me and let me help you get started! Amyzing Spaces provides professional organization for your home & office! Amy Bergman, a native Flordian, has always had a passion for organizing & simplifying things in life. She would love to help you make your space Amyzing!!! Check out her website at www. amyingspaces.com, and you will see that she will be working with her clients to organize spaces in your home & office creating systems that work for you so you can achieve more peaceful calm in your space and be even more productive & efficient with your time. You can also follow her on Facebook & Instagram. She posts excellent tips and resources there as well.

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