TL;DR
Start the school year with one master family calendar your kids help choose and fill in, then set up a drop zone with a hook for each backpack and lunch bag and an inbox for papers you need to sign. Kathi also suggests a five-day closet organizer for outfits, a separate bag for each activity, and a quarterly purge of closets and artwork.
Every year, parents and kids scramble to get organized and buy all the new supplies for the next school year.
It can be difficult to switch up routines and even create new systems to keep all of the new items organized. These tips will help you (and your family!) keep clutter at bay and ease into your new school year routines.
With a little pre-planning and newly updated organizing systems put into place, you can help make your children’s (and your) back to school transition successful!
How do you plan a new family calendar for school?
It is important that you create a new schedule that everyone can follow. It helps to have all family members buy into the new schedule. It helps a great deal to have your kids buy into the process by letting them choose the planner or scheduling tool they’re excited to use.
Once the family calendar is decided upon and chosen, ask your children to help fill in the blanks with their new activity schedules.
Next add all family calendars onto this one master calendar. It helps to keep a visual calendar strategically placed in the family hub area. Using a white board type of calendar will let you make changes on the fly and add in new activities as they pop up.
Once the new, and fluid calendar, is set up and agreed upon, it is time to get your entire home organized for the upcoming busy season.
Where should backpacks and lunch boxes go?
For starters, create a ‘drop zone’ for backpacks and lunch boxes. The ideal scenario is to have a hook positioned somewhere in the family hub for each backpack. Also super helpful is to train your kids to empty their lunch bag after school and then place it on the same hook. This way, you can quickly retrieve the bag and add the new lunch meal inside before they charge out of the house in the morning.
How do you keep track of school papers that need signing?
Create an ‘InBox’ for your kids to drop their important papers that you need to read or sign. Show them where this area is and make sure to check with them for the first few weeks of school to make sure they remember what to do with the notes that need your permission and more. (Here is how to keep school papers organized with a Mommy Binder.)
How can closets make school mornings easier?
If you want to be SUPER organized, set up your kids closets for success! Hang a 5 tier closet organizer inside each closet, one for each school day. On Sunday night, you and your kids can choose their outfits for the week and place them into each section – Monday – Friday.
How do you stop kids forgetting gear for activities?
One of the easiest strategies to keep your kids organized (and avoid last minute scrambles to find a missing item) is to create a separate backpack or satchel for each of your child’s activities.
Creating a backpack for soccer and another tote for ballet will ensure that everything your kids need for each activity will be taken with them when they depart for their next expedition.
It does require using more backpacks but will save you hours of scrambling and will also avoid driving back home to retrieve something that was forgotten.
Letting your kids choose the tote bags for each activity will help them help you as they will be more enlisted in the new system!
How often should you declutter kids’ closets and artwork?
Assess the items in your closets every three months. A quarterly closet purge and assessment will help you avoid closets that are crammed full of clothes that no longer fit or flatter.
Hang up artwork masterpieces your kids bring home and rotate them regularly. Toss the old pieces and save ONLY the ones that are amazzzzing. Better yet, take a picture of your child holding their masterpiece and save this memory digitally. This absolutely includes the 3D art piece they spent precious hours creating. (More ideas in organizing kids art.)
Do these tips work without kids?
Even if you don’t have children, many of these tips can be used for other family members, husbands included! A shared family calendar and agreed upon drop zones will avoid schedule and clutter conflicts and serve you for years to come!
Take care of yourself
Schedule at least a half hour each day in your calendar, just for you! A more balanced you is a win-win for everyone in your life! And when the kids are ready, teach them to organize their own school papers so the system runs without you.
Take a breath. You are doing this!
Keep reading
- Organizing School PapersHow to edit and keep your kids’ old school papers and projects.
- Kid’s Clothes and Cluttered ClosetsKeep growing kids’ closets to clothes that fit.
- Helping Kids Learn Organizing Skills is a Worthwhile EndeavorWhy teaching kids to organize pays off for years.
Frequently asked questions
How do I organize my family for back to school?
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Start with a new schedule everyone can follow, kept on one master calendar in the family hub. Then set up a drop zone for backpacks and lunch boxes, an inbox for papers you need to sign, a closet organizer for the week’s outfits, and a separate bag for each activity.
How do I get my kids to use a family calendar?
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Let them choose the planner or scheduling tool they are excited to use, then ask them to help fill in their new activity schedules. Add everyone’s calendars to one master calendar placed in the family hub. A white board style calendar lets you change things on the fly as new activities pop up.
What is a drop zone for backpacks?
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A drop zone is one spot in the family hub with a hook for each child’s backpack. Train your kids to empty their lunch bag after school and hang it on the same hook. In the morning you can grab the bag, add the new lunch and send them out the door quickly.
How do I keep track of permission slips and school notes?
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Create an inbox where your kids drop the important papers you need to read or sign. Show them where it is and check in with them for the first few weeks of school, so they remember what to do with permission slips and other notes that need your attention.
How can I make school mornings less hectic?
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Hang a five-tier closet organizer in each child’s closet, one shelf for each school day. On Sunday night, choose the week’s outfits together and place them in each section from Monday to Friday. A separate bag packed for each activity also avoids last-minute scrambles for missing items.
How often should I clean out my kids’ closets?
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Kathi suggests assessing closets every three months. A quarterly purge keeps closets from filling with clothes that no longer fit or flatter. Do the same with artwork: rotate pieces on display, keep only the best, and take a photo of your child holding a masterpiece to save the memory digitally.
Originally published on Organized and Energized on August 20, 2021. Moved to addSpace and updated November 7, 2026.
