Back to School 101
As summer winds down and the school year approaches, getting everything in order is the key to a smooth transition into the back-to-school season. I want you and your family to kick off the school year feeling confident and prepared, knowing everything has a place and is ready to go.
From ensuring school supplies are neatly organized and easily accessible, to preserving your kids’ schoolwork, to optimizing closet space for seamless morning routines, here’s your comprehensive guide to mastering back-to-school organization!
School Supply Organization
Take a little trip down memory lane with me…you’re walking next to your mom, and as she checks off the requirement list, you’re throwing all of your new school supplies into the cart. I don’t know about you, but I always loved organizing all of those supplies again and again as the first day of school grew near. Now that I’m a mom, the first day of school still brings back many of those feelings of anticipation, but those can also turn into feelings of anxiety if I don’t spend some time preparing in advance.
I love keeping all school supplies in one accessible place. These Target Utility Carts are not only affordable but also portable and can easily move to wherever your kiddo is working—whether it’s homework time or you’re an everyday homeschool family! This idea can be adapted for all ages of schoolchildren and would work well for all types of school supplies!
Additional organizing options
If you have multiple kids working at the kitchen table, supply caddies like these can be used in the center of the table for everyone to grab from and tucked elsewhere when it’s time for family dinner together. At The Orderly Space, we love using Multipurpose Bins from The Container Store to corral activity books, paper, stickers, notepads, etc., vertically by category.
Keeping school supplies organized might seem like a small task, but it can help everyone keep a clear mind when you’re starting to get into the groove of school again - it’s one less thing to worry about in the midst of a busy season!
Managing Kids’ Keepsakes
Let’s be honest for a second…kids bring home A LOT of papers! From school worksheets and art projects to the endless amount of report cards, awards, and memorabilia, it’s easy to feel like we are drowning in our children's paper clutter.
In the long run, your children will appreciate it if you follow a "less is more" philosophy when it comes to their creations. Personally, I follow a "when in doubt, throw it out" mentality, but I am probably a bit more iron-fisted in the matter than most!
Limiting the storage
To create a physical limitation to how much schoolwork and artwork can reasonably be stored, each of my kids has their own keepsake filing bin. You can find our DIY Kits in our Etsy Shop, which I pair with these basic plastic filing bins you can buy from Amazon and these hanging files. Throughout the year, I file away things that might be worth saving, and at the end of the school year, I include the kids in determining what to keep and what to toss. This ensures they’re left with 20-30 pieces of their accomplishments throughout the year that THEY feel are worth keeping. Then, those pieces get put into a neatly organized bin that I can one day pass down to them.
For larger keepsake items like special toys, larger art projects, or clothes, they each have one storage tub, and that’s it! I would rather my kids inherit a handful of quality items that they can pass down to their children one day than a storage unit full of toys and clothes that require hours of sorting through. Quality over quantity is your friend, especially when it comes to keepsakes.
Managing Kids’ Clothing
For some kids, there’s nothing better than going back-to-school clothes shopping! And if you have a little fashionista in the making, you understand the struggle of keeping up with a closet overflowing with clothes and endless piles of laundry! But decluttering and maintaining their wardrobe can actually be a simple task for kids, and we're sharing exactly how to do it!
This or that
Before going back to school shopping, declutter your child’s closet with them. If you’re adding new clothes to their closet, it’s time to get rid of some first. To make this process more fun and less overwhelming, hold up two items at a time - encourage your child to keep one and donate the other. Start with obvious keep and toss items to build confidence (hold up a beloved character t-shirt next to one that is worn out), then move onto the rest.
Maintainable storage
If your child is too young to hang up their clothes (or maybe they just don’t want to!), bins are a great solution! Using bins will allow them to keep their clothes organized without needing to hang or fold anything.
The 3 essential bins
Too Big
Too Small
Donate
Keeping these three bins in your child’s closet will make it easier for them to manage their clothes on their own! If they’ve outgrown a pair of jeans, they can toss it right into the “Too Small” bin. If they don’t love a particular character shirt anymore, then into the “Donate” bin it goes! Once these bins are full, you know it’s time to make a trip to your local donation center!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with back to school season, you’re not alone! This time of year can be stressful for the whole family, but just remember, the goal is to create functional systems that work for YOUR family, no matter what that looks like. You got this!
