September is right around the corner, and with it comes a new school year! Along with shopping for new pencils and folders, sports equipment, and planners, one of the best ways to stay organized during this busy season is to help get your home ready for back-to-school too! Between your family’s different schedules, sports practice, and homework it is easy for your house to start feeling cluttered and overwhelming. These helpful tips will help keep you and your family going without missing a beat this school season!
Create a Command Center
Whether it’s a push-pin board, a paper calendar, a family planner or a white board calendar, having a central location that helps to keep track of everyone’s schedules, practices, and appointments is the best way to make sure you never miss something! It is also helpful to keep kids in-the-loop with what their week will look like and can be a good resource for them to check-in with if they need to.
Pro-Tip: Expand the command center from just a family calendar and create a “chore chart” board or a weekly meal menu board to help keep the in-home plans organized as well!
Set Up a Snack Station
Having a set, accessible location for kids to go to for an after-school snack is a great way to help keep things organized, and a great way to prevent parents needing to help with this step every day. Try to pick a low drawer or pantry cabinet to keep healthy snacks, drinks, and kid plates/cutlery.
Design a Functional Entryway
One of the easiest ways to prevent a cluttered doorway or lost items is organizing your entryway! This can look like having a designated spot for backpacks, sports gear, and shoes. Having a certain spot where everything belongs close to the front door will help prevent things getting dropped or lost as kids come home from school.
Pro-Tip: Take the organization one step further and into the kitchen with a designated spot for lunch boxes, that way kids always know where to grab them on the way out for the day and where to leave them when they get home.
Establish a Homework Spot
Find a space in your home that can be established as a homework station. To help create a productive workspace include school supplies, a desk lamp and a comfy chair, that way kids can stay focused on the task at hand instead of getting up because they need something or because the space is not comfortable. A designated workspace also helps to draw a line between a work and play space. A kitchen table or their bedroom may be too distracting of an environment to get work done.
Sort Out the Laundry Room
Before the influx of laundry hits with school clothes, sports uniforms, and regular household wash, get your laundry room cleaned and organized. Similar to a functional entryway, the increase in traffic to the laundry room makes it easy for things to get cluttered and disorganized quickly. Help prevent this by having designated baskets for each type of clothing – a spot for all sporting items, a spot of school clothes, lights, darks, however you want to organize it will make all the difference when it comes time to ensure everyone has what they need for the day!
With these helpful tips, your home will be ready for a successful new school year!
Real Estate Blog by Guy DuVall 