Back to School Organization Tips for Moms
Returning to school is a brave and rewarding choice. Getting your degree is a big accomplishment and can open doors to new opportunities in both personal and professional lives.
But for many kids, returning to school can cause anxiety. This is particularly true if they are worried about making new friends or fitting in with a group of classmates.
Get Organized
Back to school is a busy time for families. With a little planning and hands-on organization on your part, you can make the new year run more smoothly for you and your kids. These simple back to school organization tips for moms will help you tackle the chaos and get your family on track.
One of the most important back to school organizational tips for parents is to set up a place for each child’s supplies
Another way to keep your kids’ supplies in order is by putting them in clear storage bins. This will allow you to see at a glance what they have and when it is due. It also makes it easy to swap out items before the bins are full. Getting your kids involved in setting up their own supply system can help them take responsibility for keeping it organized and will teach them the importance of being prepared.
A great way to keep up with your kids’ school schedules and activities is by creating a family calendar. You can use an online calendar such as Google Calendar or you can purchase a physical calendar and have your kids fill it in with their tests, assignments, after-school activities and other important dates. This will give you peace of mind knowing that you won’t have to spend your precious free time reminding them of upcoming events.
As the first day of school approaches, it’s a good idea to have your kids go through their closet and dresser drawers to sort through any outgrown clothes. This can be a fun activity for them and will make it easier to find uniforms when it is time to pack up.
Another great hack is to install a car organizer in your child’s vehicle. It will be a convenient spot for them to store any last minute items they might need on their way out the door in the morning, such as hair ties and brushes or extra breakfast snacks.
Read the Syllabuses
Students are often overwhelmed with the amount of information found on a syllabus. The document serves a lot of purposes: it sets out course requirements and policies, lists class supplies, notes assignments or tests and provides due dates, etc. It can also serve as a contract outlining what can and cannot be done in a course. For faculty, the first day of class is an important opportunity to get students on board with the contract side of the syllabus and to help them understand the relationship between what they need to do in the classroom and what they should expect from their instructors.
Many teachers focus on the syllabus as part of their introduction to the course, delivering a lecture on what is expected or providing a worksheet to fill in. While these can be helpful, a better way to engage students is to ask them to search out the information in the syllabus themselves by turning it into an activity.
For example, instead of lecturing on the expectations in a course, ask your students to answer a series of questions on the syllabus using a popular survey platform or a clicker and then record their answers. They can answer the questions individually or as teams. The questions should be based on key components of the syllabus, such as when assignments are due, what is required reading and what type of assignments can be turned in late.
Other options include having your students play a Jeopardy-style game, in which you provide categories and dollar amounts (e.g., “How do I turn in an assignment?” or “What are the reading requirements for this course?”). Students can work together or on their own and can try to guess the correct answers.
Another option is to have your students visually represent the content of the syllabus through a timeline, concept map or other graphic. This can be an engaging and memorable activity that helps students explore the complexities of a syllabus. It can also serve as a welcoming alternative to the traditional syllabus lecture and puts ownership of that process back on students, rather than on you.
Invest in Some New Stationery
The stationery
Another important factor is finding out what type of inventory you want to sell. If you are starting out, it is advisable to start small and slowly grow your business. This will ensure that you are not overwhelmed with the demands of a new business. Furthermore, it will help you test your market before making any big investments. You should also consider registering your stationery shop as a business. This will protect you from any legal complications in the future.
During the back to school shopping season, you can find some good deals on certain items. For example, you may be able to purchase a new laptop for a fraction of the usual price. Similarly, some stores offer sales on stationery products like backpacks and water bottles. You can also find a lot of coupons online that can help you save money on your back to school purchases.
In addition to stationery, you should also stock up on other essentials like clothing and shoes. This is especially important for children. Choosing comfortable shoes will help them feel confident and happy when they are at school. They will also be able to concentrate better on their lessons and be more productive in class. Lastly, it is important to have the right clothes for school, as this will help them look fashionable and cool.
According to a recent survey by Deloitte, clothing and accessories account for the largest share of the back to school spending. This is followed by school supplies and gadgets. Lastly, it is a good idea to buy some art and craft supplies. Crayons, colored pencils and markers are all a must-have for any art class. These supplies will make it easier for your child to express themselves creatively and make learning fun.
Get a Head Start
While back to school may be a time of jitters and excitement, for many kids it can also be a period of anxiety. Some kids may be returning to in-person learning after a long break from classroom learning and others may be adjusting to new classes and a teacher they aren’t used to working with. These anxieties can be made even more difficult this year with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Parents can help kids cope by encouraging open communication about the return to school and stressors that could be affecting their mood. Parenting expert and therapist Lori Gottlieb says that it is important for parents to recognize when their children are feeling anxious, and to try to understand what they are going through. She says that it’s especially important to keep in mind that “children tend to be influenced by the mood of their household,” so if they are feeling stressed and worried, you can set a tone in your home that will put them at ease.
Keeping the mood light and laughing together is another great way to make sure your family has a positive attitude for the first day of school. This is the best way to quell your kids’ nerves about meeting their teachers and settling into a new routine.
If possible, try to attend a back-to-school night or open house to meet your child’s teacher. Seeing their teacher, and if possible, talking to them on the phone or via email, can be a huge relief for kids who are anxious about the beginning of the school year.
Head Start offers early education and child development services to children from low-income families, including infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, and preschoolers. The program promotes the healthy growth and development of young children by focusing on their mental, language, and literacy skills, as well as health, nutrition, and social-emotional wellbeing. If you are a supporter of the program, call your federal and state elected officials to tell them that you support increased investment in Head Start and policies that ensure funding is directed towards local communities who can best meet the needs of their children and families.
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Cascia Talbert is a Catholic mother of five special needs kids. In 2018 she published the book, "Taking Care of Your Family's Health and Well-Being, Saints to Turn to and the Catholic Faith," available anywhere books are sold. She is also a professional flutist and an Avon Independent Sales Representative. You can learn more about Cascia on the following websites, cjsfunandgames.com and avoncrystallake.com. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, children and Baby, the playful black kitty.
