7 Simple Tips For Getting Organised For The New School Year as a Busy Mum
It’s that time of year again, the summer holidays are over, and the new academic school year is starting. How does it creep up on us so quickly?! Suddenly your kids are going up a year or even into a new school, and you’re looking ahead to getting organised for the new school year. All you can think about is that photo you took of them on their first ever day of school, standing on the doorstep looking small in their enormous uniform. You’d love to weep but there doesn’t seem to be the time!
Here are 7 quick and easy steps to setting up a system for getting organised for the new school year:
1. Weekly Planning
Your golden key to getting organised for the new school year is in the planning. Weekly planning is ESSENTIAL to map out what you need to do and when. If you aren’t already sitting down for 15 minutes on a Sunday evening to plan the week ahead, then I am begging you to give it a go. Just trial it for a few weeks, because I KNOW that this is going to be a game-changer for you.
If they are old enough then it’s important to involve your kids in this process so they feel invested in their own schedules. Sit down together and decide on the key events for the week ahead. Include school drop-offs and pick-ups, extracurricular activities, and appointments. Write them down on a calendar or planner and make sure everyone knows what’s happening each day.
You can spend a little extra time finessing everything else in the week by yourself once they have gone to bed. Your kids don’t care that you have to juggle your dentist appointment and taking the dog to the vets on Tuesday afternoon. Try to keep things relevant to them to keep them engaged.
2. Term and Semester Planning
It’s not just about weekly planning; getting organised for the new school year means you need to think about the bigger picture. Term and semester planning will help you to stay on track and ensure that everything is covered.
Identify any school closures, parent’s evenings, sports days, and other key events for the term or semester. Add them to your calendar.
This is essential if you have multiple children all participating in different extra-curricular activities! I appreciate the dark art of logistics here. Having everything written out will ensure that you have enough time to get between A and B. This includes location and timings, being thorough is pretty essential.
Just another note here if you feel like the week’s schedule is just way too packed to keep up with. Spending some time checking in with your own boundaries can free you. An entire day driving between school and extra-curricular clubs is not every Mum’s idea of a dream life, and that’s okay!
Talk with your kids to cut the number of activities they do down to something that feels reasonable to you. If you can explain the reasons why then whilst they may still feel a little disappointed, they will most likely understand. If this allows you some breathing room to not be the stressed-out dragon Mum every evening, then your kids will certainly benefit from this overall.
Don’t be afraid to set your limits. Your limits can redefine who you are as a person. This can have an incredibly powerful knock on effect on the rest of the family.
3. Morning Routines
Mornings can be a stressful time for busy families, but with a little organisation, they can be a breeze. This obviously excludes the three meltdowns from the toddler because they asked for the red spoon and you gave them…. the red spoon…? !- how very dare you.
Creating a morning routine for your kids can help to ensure that they are ready for school on time, and you can keep your sanity. Involving your kids in the routine ensures they know what’s expected of them. Then repeat it. As close to clockwork as possible. Knowing what is expected of them and how they can prove themselves to you is often all that kids need to thrive in routines. Getting organised for the new school year benefits your kids just as much as you.
Some ideas for a simple school morning routine include:
– Getting up at the same time each day,
– Brushing their teeth, washing their face and getting dressed,
– Eating breakfast,
– Collecting their lunchboxes and bags.
It can, and SHOULD, be as simple as that. Keeping the order the same every day will help massively. You may have to do some professional negotiation for the first week or so, but once they see that the rules have been set they will soon fall into them. Letting kids work on auto-pilot will eventually mean that you have time in the morning here and there to do whatever you need to without simultaneously asking your children 5 times to put their school clothes on.
4. Evening Routines
No morning routine is simple without some decent preparation the night before. But this still doesn’t just have to be a ‘you’ job- get the kids involved once again!
By establishing simple evening routines, it is possible to make mornings hassle-free. For younger kids, parents can help them pack their bags, lay out their clothes, and prepare a healthy lunch for the next day. Older kids can take on these tasks themselves, but parents can still check in and offer help as needed. By making the preparations themselves, kids know where to find their clothes to put on in the morning, and they know where to find their lunchboxes and bags. We all know that they will still ask you four times the next morning, but eventually the habit will start to sink in for them. You just need to trust the process.
5.Organisation Systems for Coming Home
Getting organised for the new school year means some fairly heavy involvement from the kids. When the school day is over, it’s important to have a system in place to keep things organised. This can help to reduce clutter and ensure that everything is in its place.
Your ‘coming home from school’ system should include at least these three things:
- Kids empty and clean out lunchboxes and bags
- Kids put lunchboxes and bags in their designated storage places
- Make sure you get any letters or correspondence from the teacher and either action it, file it, or bin it.
Create a designated area in your home for backpacks, lunch boxes, and other school items. Encourage your kids to empty and clean out their lunchboxes. Get them into the routine of packing everything away once they get home.
If they know where it lives, they can put it away. This makes the morning and evening routines easier. If your kids get home from school and throw their bag and lunchbox somewhere different every day then there’s a high chance they are going to ask you where it is the next morning. If school bags always live in the cupboard under the stairs, then they will eventually know that this is always the place they will find them.
A quick word on school letters and correspondence…
Anyone getting organised for the new school year is probably concerned about the mountain of school forms! Ask your kids for any letters or correspondence from the teacher as soon as you get through the door. Find a basket or file to immediately put every item of crumpled, ripped up shred of paper into so you know where to go to action them. Loose sheets of paper scattered around the home is not a filing system that works for any family. That I am sure of!
Suppose the letter needs dealing with today then do it as soon as you have a moment (that means TODAY, Mama). If it needs to be kept for later then file it in the designated place. You may be able to just read it and then bin it, in which case, do so immediately.
6. Setting a Homework Routine
In addition to getting organised for the new school year, it is wholly worthwhile to encourage kids to have good study habits as soon as possible. The best way to get your kids to do their homework is to set up a routine. Create a schedule with specific study hours, so your children know what to expect. Make sure they have a quiet and comfortable place to work, free from distractions.
Depending on how old your kids are, you may need to designate a time when you can sit with them to complete it. If they are older then perhaps they can do their homework at the kitchen table whilst you cook dinner, so you are still on hand to help them if they need it. It will also probably be different for each child. As always, find a time and routine that works for your family.
However you choose to set up the homework routine, be available to help if they need it. Make sure they understand the importance of the homework they are doing. With a little consistency, getting your kids to do their homework every day after school can become one of the best habits you will ever give to them.
7.Setting up a Homework Space
Homework can feel like a chore, but with the right environment, it can be a positive experience for your kids. Establish a designated homework space in your home where your kids can focus and concentrate. This could be a desk in their bedroom, or a communal area in your home. What works best will probably depend upon your child’s age, levels of concentration and your home set-up.
Make sure the area is well-lit and free from distractions. Provide all the necessary tools and materials such as pens, pencils, and a quiet study area. Once again, make sure they know you are on hand to help them if they need you. If you are anything like me then you will already be flummoxed by the homework being brought home by Year 4. Either way, sometimes just being another brain to work through things with is enough to help your child over their hurdle.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know how to work their homework out with them. Let them know that you will go away and look it up to see how you can help them best. This displays a growth mindset to them. Let them see you actively admitting that you don’t know everything, but that you are always willing to learn new things and discover more. Fostering this mindset in your child sets them up for life, so be willing to display it yourself.
Final Thoughts…
Getting organised for the new school year might seem like a lot of work, but with a few simple systems in place, it doesn’t have to be stressful. By planning your week and term/semester ahead, establishing morning routines, organising your home, and setting up a homework space, you can ensure that your kids are ready for the new academic year.
Remember, it’s not just about the systems you put in place, but the positive attitude and enthusiasm you bring to the task. It’s the willingness to keep working at things every day. Getting organised for the new school year won’t happen overnight.
Now, go and find that first day of school photo and remember just how far you have all come since then…
