5 Ways to Get Your Home Ready for Back-to-School

Do you want to conquer those hectic back-to-school mornings with a home that has been set up for success?

Get ahead with back-to-school organizing by implementing these 5 simple systems in your home to ensure a smooth transition into September.

1. Create a Dropzone for Backpacks

Commit to a spot in your home where backpacks and lunchboxes will live at the end of the day. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Your drop zone can be a simple hook inside a closet door, a basket in the entryway, or an S-hook on a closet rod. Keep it simple and consistent to ensure the system sticks.

PRO TIP: Command hooks are an excellent option for hanging backpacks anywhere and allow you the flexibility to hang them at the perfect kid height

Baskets can be a great catch for school bags at the end of the day.

S-hooks are a great option for hanging bags on closet rods

2. Set up a Homework Station

Assign a workspace for kids to complete homework tasks and projects. This can be as simple as the kitchen table or a corner desk. Fill a caddy, turntable, pencil case, or drawer with the needed school supplies and keep it nearby for quick and easy access.

Add a paper tray box or wall mount file to house weekly homework assignments.

Short on storage space? Try filling a small rolling cart with the needed supplies; kids can grab the cart and set up their station anywhere.

PRO TIP: Utensil trays make for great desk drawer organizers

Turn tables are great for housing school supplies

Try an utensil tray to organize school supplies in a drawer

3. Create an Incoming Paper Zone

Last time I checked, paper permission forms were still coming home, so best to carve out a spot where they will land so that we remember to sign them and get them back out the door.

Simple solutions like a wall-mounted basket are effective because they are visible and remind us that these temporary papers require action. Other options may include a paper tray or an accordion file with a ‘to action’ tab.

Whichever method you choose, make it simple for the kiddos to empty the contents of their bags and then hang their bags:)

4. Put together a Lunch Making Station

Shelves dedicated to lunch-making essentials such as lunch boxes, containers, water bottles, and everyday snacks help to speed up the lunch-making process, and who doesn’t want that?! Keeping everything together also serves as the perfect drop zone for items returning home at the end of the day.

Decanting like snacks in bins, turntables, or baskets saves on space and makes it easy to know what you need and when you need it.

PRO TIP: keep lunch-friendly cutlery, napkins, and condiment packs nearby to top off your perfect lunch-making masterpiece:)

A zone dedicated to lunch making essentials is key to quick lunch making

5. Set up a ‘Borrowed Bin’

I don’t know about you, but I have lost a library book or two and even a trumpet one time…don’t ask;) Setting up a simple bin with ‘Items to Return’ is a great way to keep track of borrowed books, instruments, and other temporary items coming into the home.

PRO TIP: Create a small area to deal with other temporary items passing through your home, such as ‘Store Returns’ and ‘Gifts & Donations

Baskets or bins desginated for items passing through the home help to keep tab on borrowed school items

Setting up these 5 simple systems in your home will get you ahead of the game for back to school and help to ease the chaos of those Septemeber mornings! Wishing you all a healthy and happy start to the new school year!