How to prepare for back to school without the stress
Are you looking for some tips on how to prepare for back to school, so you don’t feel so overwhelmed when the time comes?
If so, you’ve come to the right place! With a little bit of preparation and planning, you can start your back to school preparation feeling calm and organised, instead of stressed.
Here’s everything you need to know to when preparing for back to school, from not forgetting important dates, what school supplies you need, how to start routines, discussing any worries with your child, and much more.
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Start early
Starting your back to school organisation as early as possible, gives you enough time to have everything organised before school starts, as well as time to do last minute things, or things you forgot about.
Starting early also allows you to spread what you need to do over many weeks, like buying school uniforms one week, school shoes the next, school supplies the week after etc.
Here’s a back to school checklist that will help you decide what to do each week before school starts.
Get your calendar ready
Once school starts there’s lots of dates you need to remember, and using a calendar to keep track of them will help you with your back to school preparation.
Some dates you may need to record when school starts are:
- When to pay school fees
- When to submit school paperwork, including contact and medical forms
- Before or after school care arrangements
- Lunch money
- Back to school haircuts
- Dentist and doctor appointments
- PE and sports days
- School holidays
- Parent teacher meetings
- Teacher training days
- School trips and events
- School assemblies and plays
- Extra-curricular activities
Set up a back to school command centre
To make back to school organisation super simple, you may consider setting up a family command centre, which is an area of your home that contains all of the information you need to keep your family organised once school starts.
Some of the things you can keep in your family command centre are:
- A bulletin board, dry erase board, or chalkboard to write down what’s happening at school each day
- Your family calendar
- Trays for permission slips and other school paperwork
- Baskets for school books or book bags
- Bowls for locker keys
Create dedicated drop zones
Having dedicated drop zones in your home means creating areas to store certain school items.
For example, you could have a dedicated drop zone for backpack storage by hanging backpacks on hooks behind your front door, or hanging school coats on a coat rack in your entryway, or keeping lunchboxes and water bottles in a kitchen drawer.
Set up a homework station
A homework station is an area in your home where your kids can do their homework, and normally consists of a table and chair, and space for the supplies or books your kids need to complete their homework.
Here’s a complete guide to setting up a homework station, that will help you set up the perfect homework station in your home.
Check school supplies
Before school starts, check to see what school supplies you need for school, and for your homework station.
Your children’s school may supply you with a school supplies list, but if they don’t, here are some school supplies that you may like to purchase, if you don’t already have them.
- Pencil case
- Pens and pencils
- Coloured pencils or markers
- Highlighters
- Pencil sharpener
- Eraser
- Ruler
- Mini binder clips
- Paper
- Glue sticks
- Scissors
- Notebooks
- Post it notes
- Sticky tape
- Calculator
- Folders
- Hanging files
Storing your supplies together makes it easier to find them when needed, some items that will help you with this are:
- Stationery organiser perfect for small spaces
- Stationery trolley ideal for storing supplies for multiple children
- Stationery caddy perfect for moving supplies to another area if needed
- Mason jars or a repurposed cutlery tray, ideal for holding pens and pencils
- Stackable trays for paper
Check school uniforms
One thing that you should do as early as possible is check to see if your child’s school uniform, school shoes, and PE kit still fits, and if not buy the next size up, or replace any missing items.
I like to purchase two sizes up, so if my kids unexpectantly grow during a term, I have the next size ready to go.
Here’s some of the uniform you may need for the start of a school year:
- Trousers / skirts / dresses
- Polo shirts / shirts / blouses
- Jumpers / cardigans
- PE kit (including trainers)
- School shoes
- Socks and tights
- Sun hat
- Beanie
- Coat or waterproof jacket
Organise school paperwork
There’s a lot of paperwork that comes into the home once school starts, from permission slips, newsletters, event flyers, and more, having somewhere to store them makes finding them when you need them easy.
If you decided to set up a back to school command centre, you can keep school paperwork there. Otherwise, using a desktop organiser and sorting through it each night, is a great way to keep school paperwork organised.
Get back into routines
One of the first things you can do when preparing for back to school is to get your kids back into a sleep routine, which may involve getting them to sleep and wake up at the times they would if the next day was a school day.
You may also decide to start a school morning routine, or an easy after school routine once school starts, to help your kids know what’s expected of them on a school day, and help them wind down during the school week.
Simplify school lunches
If making school lunches is something you dread, create a master list of ideas that your kids will eat, and rotate them each week.
You can even prep a few days’ worth of lunches in advance, or pre-cut any fruit or vegetables that you need for the week ahead to save time.
Some school lunch and school snack ideas you can add to your master list include:
- Mini sandwiches
- Wraps
- Pasta pots
- Fruit
- Yoghurt
- Cheese and crackers
Here are some more school lunch ideas, and school snack ideas that you can try.
Discuss any concerns your child has
If your child is feeling anxious about returning to school, or you think they may be, it’s worth talking about their concerns with them.
Some of the ways you can do this are:
- Discussing what they can expect from the new school year, what’s staying the same, and what might be different
- Setting up playdates with friends
- Reading books about starting school, like Charlie and Lola: I Am Too Absolutely Small for School and Starting School, which are two of the books I’ve read to my children before they started school
- Asking open ended questions such as “What are you most looking forward to?” “Are you feeling unsure about anything?”
Plan a celebration
Celebrating the end of summer with a special day out, may help to alleviate any first day of school nerves.
You don’t have to do anything expensive, or elaborate, an end of summer celebration can be as simple as a picnic, a family movie night, or a family baking session.
Or if you prefer, you can start a first day of school tradition, like:
- Pancakes for breakfast
- A special dinner
- A first day of school photo
- A visit to the park
Here are some more first day of school traditions you may like to try.
How to prepare for back to school – a recap
With a little bit of planning, and a few simple systems, you can ease your children back to school feeling organised, calm, and ready for a fresh start.
Some things you can do to prepare for back to school include checking uniforms, setting up a command centre, or easing back into sleep routines.
It’s also beneficial to spread tasks across multiple weeks, such as purchasing school supplies one week, and setting up a homework station the next.
And don’t forget the emotional side of back to school, especially if your child is feeling anxious. Taking time to discuss any worries they have, and even celebrating the end of summer, or the first day of school, will help to make your child feel more comfortable about the return to school.
Want a simple checklist to make this even easier? Be sure to download this FREE back to school checklist to stay on track and feel in control.
What’s one thing you always forget to do before the first day of school?
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