Getting everything sorted before the kids go back to school can feel like mission impossible. Here are some tried and tested tips to get everything organised, so mornings will run with military precision. Or, at least we hope they will help save a bit of time and stress in the mornings. Shouting up the stairs is a horrible way to start the day.
Plan your meals for the week ahead
Easier said than done, but knowing what you’ll eat as a family for the coming week will make things much less stressful when it comes to dinner time. If you can, prepare a batch load of recipes and store them in the freezer so they can be whipped out and put straight in the oven. A real life saver at the end of the day when you’re totally done in.
Keep lunchbox essentials together
Store everything you need to make sandwiches in a tray or box in the fridge. Think bread, fillings, butter and add fruit and veg that you’ve portioned out on the weekend or night before. You will have a ready-made lunch prep station to access quickly each morning.
Create a snack pot
Inevitably when kids come home from school they’re starving and want anything they can get their hands on quickly. This gets particularly tricky if you also have a baby demanding your attention. You can give your older one the chance to be a bit more independent. They can quickly grab the snack pot out of the fridge instead of you hunting around for something that might not be as healthy as you’d like. As an added bonus, this works just as well when you’re dashing out and need to grab something to take with you for emergency situations. Your snack pot could be filled with individual portions of cheese, veggies, oatcakes and fruit.
Create a designated homework station
Have a space cleared and stocked with homework essentials such as pens, pencils, rulers, notepads and paper. Ideally, create a little caddy that’s portable and can be moved around the house and stored away when not in use.
Store backpacks and shoes together
The last thing you need when you’re dashing to leave the house is a missing shoe or school bag. Keep them together in a storage place near the front door, so that your little ones know where to put them when they come home each day, ready to pick up again the next morning.
Lay out clothes for the week ahead
Lay out your little one’s clothes for the week in a drawer or shelf in their room. You could get them involved in this and have them choose what they want to wear to avoid any morning tantrums.
Create a family command centre
Not just for back-to-school, this is a place to organise the whole family. From backpacks, work bags, sports kits, keys, documents, to-do lists and an all-important wall calendar. Everything is grouped together in one place so everyone knows where everything is and what’s going on that week. Using frames and chalkboard paint or, even simpler, washi tape and post-its, will add a touch of style to our command centre.
We hope you found these little tips useful and would love to hear about how you manage to keep your family organised.
