It’s almost back to school time. Get your home ready for back to school with these tips, like setting up a command center, making snacks, and more.
For more tips for the school year, check out all of our back to school posts.
We’re a week away from back-to-school time here in North Carolina. It’s so crazy. I say it every year, but the summer just flies by. We went to Abbeville and Charleston this summer, so I at least feel like we’ve had a summer vacation. But I’m still not ready for it to end. I doubt you are either.
But, it will happen soon. You or your kids will be headed back to school in a few days, so now is the time to make sure you’re ready. Not just you, but you want to make to get your home ready for back-to-school. We have a few things you can think about now so you don’t rush when school starts.
For even more help, check out our list of Back To School Tips.
Get Your Home Ready For Back To School
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Create a command center.
We have a mudroom that is right off the garage. It’s perfect if we parked in the garage because we would just be able to use it as a place to take off our shoes and hang up our jackets. If you have an area near your garage or front door (depending on where you park), you can create a command center there.
Put in a bench where your kids can sit and tie their shoes. Add pegs above the bench so your kids can hang their backpacks and jackets. You can also put up hooks to hang homework or artwork. And add storage cubes if you have other items that need to be accessible.
You can then set up a command center in the kitchen with a calendar, sticky notes, and more. Write everything you can on the calendar so the entire family knows what’s going on every day.
For tips on putting one together, check out our DIY Back-To-School Command Center post.
Stock up on healthy, easy-to-open snacks.
Recently, we were able to get free peanut butter crackers. I wasn’t in the mood for peanut butter crackers then, but I bought them because I knew we would eat them eventually.
You know your kids are going to need snacks for school and after-school snacks too. So if you see a sale or have a coupon for healthy, easy-to-open snacks (so your kids can open them themselves), stock up now. I mean, you’re not going to buy bunches of bananas now, but anything packaged will last until school starts. Well, it won’t expire. Can your family go all summer without eating those snacks? I’m not sure.
You can also make delicious snacks like our energy balls, then freeze them until school starts. You probably have a little more free time now than you will in September.
Start buying school supplies.
There’s a good chance your young kid will need glue sticks. And pencils. And a ton of other stationery items that are actually already going on sale. We don’t even have school-aged kids, but I still run out for these deals, like the free Ticonderoga pencils deal. We can always use those items at home or we can donate them to the local school, so I grab them.
If you start picking up school supplies now, while they’re on sale, you won’t feel rushed when you finally get that School Shopping List from the teacher.
And, you might want to dress up boring supplies like paper clips by making our DIY emoji paper clips.
Organize dressers and closets.
How much has your kid grown since last school year? Or how many shirts have taken a beating this summer and are torn and tattered? It happens. That’s part of the fun of being a kid.
Take some time, though, to go through items that don’t fit or can’t be worn anymore and remove them from dressers and closets. If they’re too ruined to even be play clothes, turn them into rags to clean the house. If they’re still in good condition but they just don’t fit, donate them.
Then, figure out what you need and pick up some new back-to-school clothes, new sneakers, and a fun first day of school outfit. I always loved picking out a special outfit for the first day. It made going back really exciting.
Speaking of clothes, don’t forget about our Where To Find Back-To-School Clothing Deals post.
Designate a homework center.
Figure out where your child is going to set up to do homework. Does he have a spot at the kitchen table? Does she have a desk in her room? Whatever the area is, make sure everyone knows that’s the homework spot. It’s not for snacks, it’s not for throwing bookbags, it’s for homework.
Make sure that everything your child needs for homework is already in that spot. Pencils, an iPad, a comfy seat … whatever your child needs, have it there now. Ask your child if there’s anything else that he or she needs added to the space.
That way, when homework time rolls around, you’re not spending half an hour trying to find a laptop cord or a pack of colored pencils.
Create a morning routine and post it.
A few years ago, we put together a great Back-To-School Morning Routine free printable. You can print it out, laminate it, and hang it on your fridge now. Have your child do a run through of the activities and figure out if there’s a way to move things around in your home to make it more efficient (like, maybe the hair brush is in a closet but the toothbrush is in a bathroom).
You may have your own morning routine that involves really specific tasks. Whatever those are, set up the routine now so that it’s second nature by the time school starts.
More Back To School Ideas:
If you need a couple more tips to make sure you start back to school right, we have a few other posts you might enjoy:
Back To School Teachers Gifts:
If you’re one of those parents that gives a teacher a gift at the start of the school year, we have a few fun ideas for you:
- Teacher Stationery Back-To-School Gift Idea
- DIY Pasta Sauce Apple
- DIY No. 2 Pencil Mason Jar Pencil Holder
If you want more ideas, check out all of our Back To School Gifts For Teachers (that they actually want).
What are your tips to get your home ready for back to school? Leave them in the comments to help everyone else get ready too!