We are headed back to school next week. It got me thinking of what we can do to be successful at this whole school thing. Besides the basic homework and getting enough sleep. Because I have had kids leave the house in tears and I want to go pull them out of class and give them a hug (or text them a message, thank goodness for the Gizmo Gadget, anyone’s kids have one of those? Best thing ever!) I can typically relate it back to the fact that we were not prepared. So I shared three of my little back to school tips that have kept me sane and also made getting to school on time a lot easier with less tears…
1- Get Kids An Alarm Clock-
I have heard of mothers going into their kids rooms and singing a song as they open up the curtains to gently wake their sleeping kids. Nope. Not this mom. I used to be that mom. Until I realized I would rather have breakfast made and things done. My girls set their alarm. Get out of bed. Make their beds. Get dressed. Then they come downstairs to eat breakfast. I read an article that said, it is a life skill that kids need to learn to be responsible to get up on their own. I totally agree!
What doesn’t make setting an alarm better than a new one! Shop some of my favorite alarm clocks by clicking on the one you like-
2- Select Clothes For The Week-
We would lay out the clothes the night before and that was helpful. The rule is that they could wear whatever they wanted but they could NOT change it in the morning. Oftentimes my oldest would decide she didn’t like something then spend 30 minutes picking something else out and end up in tears. So if she does choose to not wear what she picked out the night before then that outfit is no longer her outfit. I will donate it or give it to her sister. That might seem harsh, but it worked and it helped to avoid a lot of conflict in the mornings.
Other suggestions-
- My daughters best friend picks her outfits for the entire week on Sunday. I REALLY like this idea. I bought some inexpensive bins and labeled them. This way the girls can look for the week and see if they have gym one day or check the weather and get everything picked out. Clothes can waste so much time at night when everyone is ready for bed and you are arguing over outfits.
- I also heard to have your kids lay out two outfits so if they wake up and hate one outfit they have a backup.
- Or what about this…have your kids sleep in their clothes for school the next day! I laughed when a friend told me she does this. But for some kids- maybe boys with comfy clothes this would work!
3- Let Your Kids Make Their Lunch At Dinner-
When your kitchen is mess and you are making dinner make lunch for the next day! Honestly this is a big timer saver and LIFE HACK! It is just like running your errands all in the same day. If you are going to take your child to soccer across town and it is by Target then go to Target that same day! I also think having your kids make their own lunch empowers them to EAT IT!
And this is always a good reminder for back-to-school and really for life…. “She is beautiful and so am I.”
One of my favorite podcasts said “September is another January”. A great time to set new goals and new habits. Happy Fall and Back to School! Please comment with your Back-to-School hacks!!
Related Blog Posts-
All about Letterboards and the best quotes HERE
My girls bedroom and new wallpaper HERE
The best Smoothie Recipe to keep kids calm HERE a MUST for kids with anxiety about going back to school
Excellent tips!!!!! I definitely follow tip #1 with our son. He’s actually happier waking up on his own than if I have to wake him up. For the other tips, we have a school uniform and that helps tremendously for him!! Easy easy bc there are literally only 2-3 choices!! Ha ha!! He eats hot lunch at school, but I love your tip #3 too. So empowering for the child!!! Excellent blog post, as always!!! Thinking of you next week when school starts!!!! (We start next week too!!)❤️❤️❤️
Yes you are SO lucky with the uniforms and the hot lunch!! I wish my girls liked the hot lunch!
Thank you! Best wishes to you and your son too!
Clean up your kitchen the night before! This isn’t really a back to school tip, but more of an everyday thing to do. We almost always eat dinner at home and as a family. I do like to make sure the kitchen is completely clean before going to bed. I hate waking up to dirty dishes in the sink, or counters that haven’t been wiped down. It really just sets the tone for your entire day.
I make our kids lunches but do it right after dinner while the kitchen is messy too. I have everything packed and lunch bags setting on the counter ready to go except for cold items that need to be put in at the last minute.
Outfits are decided the night before.
I set my iPhone to give a 5 minute warning of when we need to leave. For example, if we need to leave at 7:30, then I set my alarm for 7:25 so everyone can start grabbing up their backpacks etc… and know exactly when it’s time to go.
YES! YES! YES!! I totally should have included that hack- I started that this past year of setting my phone alarm with a 5 minute warning. GAME CHANGER! Also I agree with the kitchen. I need to remember to unload the dishwasher the night before!
Thank you!
What great hacks!! I did the alarm clock this year and they have enjoyed the control (and I’ve enjoyed the freedom). Thanks for sharing them. I love the idea of fresh beginnings and organizing our lives again after the inevitable chaos of summer.
My hack would be… don’t make it a huge deal for the kids. I think all of the feasts and new school clothes and back to school nights, etc, put a lot of pressure on it. I love all of this cute and fun traditions… and for some kids it helps, but for mine it wouldn’t. We do fathers blessings and then we celebrate after school the first day. The jitters are gone and they can download all their feelings.
Biggest tip… do what you know your kids will respond to! I know you’ll like that one since your are all about individuality.
That is such a valuable point Rach, all the focus on back to school isn’t good for some kids with anxiety about it all.
Yes, I agree we do the fathers blessing too and really love that special time.
Love that tip “Do what works for you!”
xoxox
Be religious about them getting enough sleep. Lay out clothes for the whole week. Make sure lunch is packed the night before. Look ahead on the calendar so you aren’t missing anything. Do NOT overschedule them. They are just kids and don’t need to do everything. Quiet time at home is very important for them.
This is separate from school but totally helps in general. Start the day with a clean kitchen and all the toys picked up. Part of our bedtime routine is them picking up their toys every night. Nothing’s more depressing than coming down to chaos in the morning.
Love all of those and agree 100%! I need to be better at enforcing quiet time- I do think kids need that alone down time.
Such great tips. I just wish my son would use his alarm clock we bought last year. That didn’t work. He’s a sleeper and if given the slack to wake up and make his bed and get dressed, he would be rolling out of bed at noon like a frat boy. Lol. He’s almost 7 btw.
My hack that I started this year, was to get up, shower and get dressed before I wake up the kids. I have 2 different school drop offs 30 mins apart.
My newest “hack” really isn’t a hack but WOW what a difference it has made. The cell phone no longer goes to school w my high schooler. I started this when I started seeing grades dipping last year. I really had no idea about the amount of notifications and texting that was lighting up that phone during the school day until I had it at home w me. These kids would literally be on their phones ALL DAY LONG ? I kinda think she doesn’t mind being literally the only kid at school w/o one now that she’s able to focus better.
SO smart! Good job Mom! You are on top of it to catch it.