Fill a car organizer with everything your child may need on a busy morning.
I fill mine with an extra hairbrush, hair gel, baby wipes (for messy faces), hand sanitizer, water bottles and grab n’ go breakfast options like protein-filled granola bars. I hang one in front of each child’s seat so they can finish grooming or eating in the car before we get to the drop-off line.
When you get home from school, go through your child’s take-home folder (or ask them to do that!) and place papers in the right family member’s file. Permission slips and event flyers go in mom and dad’s slot, while homework and projects go into your child’s.
Then you can each check your file when you have a quiet moment to focus!
TIP: Keep a checkbook and pen in your file so you won’t have to hunt one down when you need it.
Let’s face it, the family vehicle is more like a fully-equipped taxi. De-clutter your mudroom and save yourself from a week’s worth of hunting down sports equipment by packing an organizer in your trunk every weekend before your busy weekday schedule begins.
TIP: Designate one slot to yourself and fill it with extra gym clothes to make quick workouts easier to fit into a busy day!
4. Make freezer meals once a month to keep your freezer well-stocked.
Commit to making 10-15 freezer meals once or twice per month.
You’ll keep your family fed with healthy, homemade meals without rushing through that pre-dinner hour of doom when everyone needs help, the kids are hangry, and you’re trying to do all the things while figuring out a frantic last-minute dinner plan.
The whole family can make plans around what is planned for dinner. Maybe your teenage daughter hates spaghetti? She can choose that night to make plans with her friends instead of whining about the dinner choice.
Stick a freezer-safe tupperware container you already have on hand in the freezer and fill it with ice packs. Your kids can easily find one to stick in their lunchbox before heading out.
Everyone forgets their lunch sometime.
Instead of having to rush home to grab it, or be stuck without cash to hand them in the school drop-off line, just add $10-$20 to their lunch account at the beginning of the school year that they can use when the inevitable happens.
I loathe finding balls of crumpled permission slips and homework at the bottom of a backpack.
Before the school year starts, stick a simple pocket folder in your child’s backpack and tell them to put any loose papers into it instead.
Sometimes we parents need a little extra motivation to get through the school week. Instead of feeling guilty about hitting the Starbucks drive-thru after an especially crazy morning, just start the school year by gifting yourself a $75 gift card to your favorite coffee shop. That’s enough for a guilt-free latte every Friday to celebrate the end of another busy week.
TIP: Refill the card during winter break when gift card promotions are taking place to get through the second semester, and be sure to read our Starbucks hacks to ensure you’re getting the best value.
Free apps like ScreenLimit and Parental Control & Kid Tracker will help regulate your kids’ screen time so you don’t have to.
Just set the controls to allow 1-2 hours per day (or whatever your personal preference may be), so you can ensure there’s plenty of time left for homework.
Establish a space for your kids to put their backpacks, lunch boxes and other school items.
Print out this free template, or make your own and slip it into a sheet protector. Clip it to a clipboard and let your kids use a dry-erase marker to check off items once they’ve completed them.
To make it easier to read, color code activities for each family member.
This has been a huge help for my kids and my sanity. When homework is done, cleanup is a cinch, and no one is ever complaining they can’t find what they need!
16. Decorate clean, empty cans and use them to organize school supplies.
You can also use old cereal boxes, jars, Pringles cans or cups!
Just pick up a tri-fold poster board for a few bucks, then brighten it up with colored paper or poster board.
18. Use washi tape to label different notebooks for different subjects.
If your organizer has more then five pockets, store shoes for the week in the sixth.
The secret to making bulk buying work for lunches is to spend a few minutes portioning it out right when you get home. If you don’t do this, you’ll just create extra stress for yourself when the morning rush hits, and you’ll then wonder why you didn’t spring for the smaller bags.
RELATED: 12 Books to Help Teach Your Kids About Money
Prevent pages from tearing out of your kids’ binders, and dress them up at the same time. #winning
When the school year is over, sort through all the papers. Decide what to keep, scrapbook, and get rid of.
Rather than feeling the need to keep every item, photograph your kids’ artwork to document in a photo book you can print at the end of the school year.
Use them as bookmarks for textbooks or notebooks!
Be prepared with a glue stick to re-adhere the photo falling off your kiddo’s science project poster board, or an extra pen to avoid frantically searching for one when your child pulls out that unsigned field trip form while sitting in the drop-off line at school.
Ideas for items to put in your kit:
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With over 1,000 centers across North America, Mathnasium is customized to the needs of each individual student, we can help advanced students stay engaged and those that struggle caught up! More importantly, we can also help your child to develop even stronger numeric fluency and critical thinking skills, which are essential for continued success in math. We also provide homework help!
29. Make and freeze PB & J sandwiches ahead of time.
