Juggling “All the Things” for Back-to-School

Back-to-School. How is it that summer just seems to fly by, and then before we know it, the fall is upon us with all the back-to-school rush? When you have multiple kids at home and other commitments that pick up again in full-force for the fall, this time of year can get super crazy super quickly!

Here are 4 Quick Tips to juggling “all the things” for back-to-school:

1. Plan Ahead. As the first day of school gets closer and closer, we have the tendency to procrastinate on getting prepared. We want to squeeze all we can out of those last few weeks of summer and for good reason! But it’s important not to wait until the last minute to start gathering school supplies, making plans for changes in child care, etc. It’s a great idea to pick a day at least 2 weeks before school starts and devote it to “School Readiness.” Not only will you feel less rushed as the day approaches, but you’ll avoid the crowds and diminished store shelves that will face you if you wait until the night before school starts!
2. Organization is King. Even if you are not an organized person in other aspects of your life, it can be a huge stress-reliever for the next 10 months if you can start out the school year being organized. One easy way to do this is to create a “space” for paperwork and information related to each child. For some schools and day cares, they may send most things to you digitally in this day and age, so maybe this is just one file folder on your computer’s desktop for each child. Then as you get emails, digital documents, and other information from the school, you can slide it all right into that folder for easy reference. If most of what you receive is on paper, then consider using an accordion folder or a storage bin or tray for each child. Also as you receive any information or paperwork that has important dates on it, get those onto a calendar of some kind right away, and/or highlight dates so that you can quickly look back to see when deadlines or events are coming up.
3. Keep Weekends Open if Possible. As your fall calendar starts to fill up during the week with school events as well as just the start of the new school year routine, guard your weekends like they are worth more than gold! Remember that most likely both you AND your kids will be very tired at the end of the first couple of school weeks, so overscheduling a lot of activities (even fun ones) on the weekends will likely not leave your family time to rest and adapt to the increased demands of a new school year.
4. Talk, Talk, Talk with Your Kiddos. With the hustle and bustle of settling into the new routine, making sure lunches are packed, supplies are bought, and bus schedules are met, it’s easy to miss how our little ones are handling everything. Discipline yourself to take time – even if it’s just a few minutes – each day in the week or so before school starts as well as during the first few weeks, to sit down with each child and ask how they are feeling about the start of a new school year.

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