Top Ten Ways to Make the School Year a Snap

Now that the school year is officially here, how are you going to keep things running smoothly? It can seem like a daunting task, especially if you have more than one child in school, to keep schedules straight and maintain order. If you are like me, you start the school year off with a bang; Martha Stuart couldn't be as organized as you. However, somehow things seem to become less organized as the year goes on. I have a solution to all of these problems and more to keep you and your child organized, on time, and sailing through the school year. Here are the Top Ten Ways to Make the School Year a Snap.

Calendar:
First, get a calendar. Don't go out and get a little desk calendar or a day timer. Go to the office supply store and get a large desk calendar or a white board calendar and hang it somewhere prominent like the kitchen. As soon as you get sports schedules, dance schedules, band, choir or school schedules, write them on the calendar. It may be easier if each child is a different color pen or marker. For example, Jeni's choir and dance schedule is all in pink and Josh's football schedule is all in blue. Also include major tests or projects to make sure your child is not waiting till the last minute. Be sure to include mom and dad's schedule for appointments or PTA/PTO meetings, etc. This way, you will know if there are conflicting schedules, you will not miss an appointment, and you have a larger space to be sure everything gets written down.

Homework Station:
A quiet place to do homework is essential. Do not put your homework station in your child's bedroom where the TV, cell phone, and the stereo are. Your homework station needs to be a clear space (table or desk) where he/she can complete homework and not be disturbed. It should include a comfortable chair, a table lamp for extra lighting, and supplies (pens, pencils, paper, etc.)

Extra Supplies:
Buy a large shower caddy to keep extra supplies in. Make one for each child. The best time to buy them is while you are school supply shopping when everything is still on sale. Don't just include pens, pencils, and paper. Include things like scotch tape, staplers and staples, paper clips, graph paper, glue, construction paper, copy paper, scissors, map pencils, markers, pencil sharpener, water colors, ruler, crayons, etc. Inevitably, it will happen that you will come home exhausted and your child will not have finished their homework/project because they didn't have... This is not only frustrating, but can also be inconvenient when you have to run to the store late in the evening to get said supply and then your child is late getting to bed and your whole routine is out the window over a pencil or other little project paraphernalia. Also, be sure to check your supplies every month or so to make sure you are not out of something.

Preparation:
From the littlest things, preparation is key. Have your child lay out their clothes for the next day the night before. If your child eats cereal for breakfast in the morning, have them set out a clean bowl, spoon, and the cereal box on the counter for the next morning. Have a coat hook by the front door to put backpacks/bags on and a basket for other items such as signed permission slips, uniforms, shoes, etc. All you have to do is check it on the way out the door. Organize backpacks the night before to be sure all homework is ready to go. Also, make lunches the night before. Get everything together except for the sandwich. A pre made sandwich is never good.

Egg Timer: For kids who get off task or have trouble staying focused, use an egg timer. Set an appropriate amount of time for the task whether it is homework, chores, or getting ready in the morning. This will help keep your child focused and on time.

Wake up time:
For kids who do not wake up well, wake them up fifteen minutes before their scheduled wake up time. This will give them a few minutes of "waking up" time before they get moving and off to school.

Shower at night:
You may think that showering in the morning is a better to help your child wake up, however it is not. Your child will sleep better and be more rested in the morning if they shower/bathe at night. They will wake up refreshed and ready for school. Also, if your child has seasonal or outdoor allergies, showering at night helps remove all of the pollens, etc from their hair and prevent them from transferring it to their pillow giving them a more restful sleep.

Chores: Chores are important for every child. No matter how big or small, there are chores for every child. For younger children, picking up toys or setting the table. For older children, washing dishes or straightening up the living room. Whatever chores are chosen should be age appropriate. Chores teach responsibility and also give kids a sense of pride and help improve self esteem.

Schedule:
Just like chores, keeping a schedule for kids is highly important. For morning times (this is where your egg timer comes in handy) allot a certain amount of time for dressing, eating breakfast, etc. In the evening, give a 20 minute break time after arriving home from school to get a snack and relax. Then homework time and chore time. Always include free time in the evenings. Children function so much better on a schedule and this also instills responsibility in them. An important side note though is to be sure not to over schedule your child.

Down time:
Even though school has started and your child's schedule will be full, it is important that your child has down time for themselves. Responsibilities like chores and sticking to a schedule are important. However, do not forget to let them have extracurricular activities. They can be organized like sports or something as simple as having a sleepover. Kids have to have downtime to allow them to be kids. We expect so much of kids today and they grow up so fast. So do not forget to let them enjoy their childhood.

Going back to school does not have to be complicated or crazy. Using these tricks will help you stay organized and sane while ensuring your child has a successful school year.