7 easy ways to prep for back to school! The new school year is right around the corner, this post is a great place to start as you begin to plan.
Like it or not, for most of us, the new school year is just around the corner. If you’re anything like my family, it’s always a struggle to get back into the school year routine. Early mornings, new schedules, and homework requirements can be a bitter pill to swallow after the laid-back, relaxed routines of the summer.
Believe it or not, though, it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, I’m sharing 7 easy things to do now to begin prepping for back-to-school!
1) Begin earlier bedtimes. The early mornings that come with heading back to class may be the hardest thing to adjust to after a summer of sleeping in. It may not be fun, but the best way to deal with this head-on is to begin adjusting your child’s bedtime now. Have your child go to bed earlier by 10-15 minutes each night, and wake them up 10-15 minutes earlier each morning until they are waking up at their normal, school-year wake-up time.
2) Organize your pantry/refrigerator for easier lunch packing. Tackling your pantry and refrigerator so packing lunches is easier is a wonderfully proactive task that will make school mornings much easier. If your kids are a bit older, you can organize your kitchen so that they are able to independently pack their lunches, saving you time, and giving them some added independence and responsibility. There are many ways to do this, but the overall goal is to pre-portion healthy foods into containers and teach your kids what needs to be packed in their lunches (for example: one fruit, one protein, one veggie, one treat) so that no one is scrambling come 6 am.
3) Set up a homework station. Setting up a homework station in your home now can relieve after-school stress later. Have a designated place for your kids to do their homework, and make sure that place is stocked with whatever they’ll need to complete their work, such as pencils, crayons, scissors, gluesticks, a dictionary, etc.
4) Start planning easy, healthy, no-hassle meals. Having no idea what to feed your hungry and tired family come 5:00 can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Plan some quick, go-to meals now (or consider a meal prep service), and, if you can, stock your pantry and freezer with what you’ll need so that you always have a dinner option available. Pinterest is great for finding (and organizing) your ideas.
5) Stockpile on school supplies. In addition to buying the supplies your children will need for the year, remember to stock up for both your homework station and for when your kids run out mid-year. Prices are cheapest now, and it’ll also save you mid-year trips to the store.
6) Schedule time for some fun! Getting ready for the new school year can be stressful, so schedule one last quick summertime outing or project that you’ll remember long after the weather turns colder. These apple pretzel bites are a fun project, and would be a cute teacher gift idea (I even have free printable tags here).
7) Capture the memory. Print out these first day of school printable signs so you can easily capture the memory as your kids go off on their new school-year adventure! The school year will go fast, and you’ll enjoy looking back and reminiscing on how young your little ones look!
Thanks for reading all about the 7 things to do now to get ready for back-to-school! Did I miss anything? What would you add to the list?