Back To School - 9 Tips to make life a little easier!

Back To School - already? Enjoy these Quick Tips that are sure to make school days easier on everyone involved!

1. Declare the mornings a technology-free-zone. Saving technology binges for another time should help decrease morning chaos.

2. Organize your fridge. Keeping all school lunch ingredients together in small bins or stacking containers, makes it much faster to assemble a healthy lunch.

3. Create a shared family calendar. Get everyone on the same page! The childcare provider, the spouse, and—most important of all—the kids. Every member of your team can have visual or written tasks and cues that pertain just to them, so they feel empowered to own their responsibilities (e.g., packing lunch the night before school).

4. Add clocks to your morning routine. Clocks are a parent’s best friend in the morning — even if your kids can’t tell time yet. Place an analog clock in your child’s room and then assign times to a morning checklist you print out, detailing when each task needs to be completed (e.g., wake up, make bed, brush teeth, get dressed). Assigning times to each task, allows your student to be more successful getting out the door on time.

5. Enlist help. It’s perfectly okay to lean on a childcare provider or a parent of your child’s friend for a few pick-ups a week. Your kids are bound to have after-school activities, but you don’t have to chauffer them to each one.

Tip: Hire a sitter occasionally to watch the baby while you spend quality time with a big kid.

6. Create a designated homework space. Even kindergartners get homework these days and all students need a quiet place where they can focus. A quiet desk with a lamp and no distractions is the perfect spot.

7. Streamline and organize school supplies. They can take over your house, so put them in their right place and reduce the clutter and chaos.

8. Create an after-school routine. A routine that has worked in the past might not work as your child advances in school. Plan time for activities, snacks, homework, and dinner. Offer a reward with a few bonus minutes of reading with a parent, extra playtime outside, or even the coveted "screen time."

9. Enforce a bedtime routine. This needs to include putting backpacks by the door, making lunches, and getting clothes out for the next day.

These tips should help get your school year off to a fabulous start! If you have any organizational tips to share, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comment section and stay-tuned for more useful tips and tricks. Here’s to a successful academic year ahead!