“School Year’s Eve” can be a tough night for families. It is a rude awakening that another summer has passed and the countdown until summer vacation has been reset. Our best advice for a smooth transition…be a fan of the plan. Remove the chaos from getting ready for school each morning by creating a routine and staying organized.

Have a Morning Routine

I may not be a mom yet but as the oldest of 12 cousins I have been around enough children to know kids need a schedule and often look forward to it. By creating a morning routine you help yourself and your children to get out of the house in a happy and timely manner. From keeping a consistent wake up time to developing a morning ritual of tasks you will have a better chance of getting out of the door without morning tears or feeling like you got up from the wrong side of the bed. The example on the right provides a look into how Jen from iheartorganizing.blogspot.com established a consistent morning routine in her home.

We love the idea of including lunch/school work/backpack as reminders for the important things to remember in the morning. The only change we would make is swapping brush teeth with eating; 1) Your kids will have cleaner teeth for the day and 2) Spills happen! Let them eat in their pjs and THEN get dressed for school!

What do you include in your routine?

Create a Lunch Menu

As expected Martha Stewart is the go to woman for easy DIY ideas for home and this one is great for back to school. According to Martha “A kid may be more likely to enjoy their lunch if they help choose the menu. When they use this magnetic chart to map out their meals for the week, it saves time and helps make grocery shopping easier. ”

We think this a great idea for so many reasons! First and foremost it is fun for your children but educational at the same time. This chart allows them to create a nutritionally balanced meal and teaches them a lunch must include a sandwich or something similar, fruit/vegetable and snack. By providing options there is a greater chance that their lunchbox isn’t coming back full with food they didn’t like.

Make their lunch extra special by including a note or small gift. My husband still talks about how his mom left him baseball cards in his lunchbox and I still have notes saved from my mom. A simple “Hope you are having a great day” means the world to a child and is your way of letting them you know are thinking about them mid-day.

Create an Outfit Organizer

Lucky for my mom I went to private school from preschool to eighth grade so there was no room for discussion about what to wear each morning. We did get a small taste of what it was like to plan outfits on “dress down days” and I completely understand why it could be a nightmare for parents in the morning.

A former coworker used to entertain me with stories of her 8 year old daughter trying to dress herself in the morning and by the look of her face by 9 AM, I learned there’s nothing like a morning argument over what to wear. It just ruins the day. Bottom line…a tutu over leggings is NOT an acceptable outfit for school!

Having outfits ready to go will keep the morning running smoothly and help you to get out the door on time without your child looking like they are off to a Halloween costume contest, rather than school. We love this example from Tonia from thegunnysack.com. Click on the photo for her step by step on how to make this simple Closet Organizer.

By the way if you are thinking to yourself “Wow self…I could really use this to help me get organized for the week” I am right there with you, so don’t feel alone! 🙂

Images via ridgecounseling.org , iheartorganizing.blogspot.com, marthastewart.com, and thegunnysack.com.