5 Back to School Tips to Make It Easier

August is in full swing and already I see kids going back to school for lots of our kids. This can be a hectic and crazy time. Making the adjustment from summer break to the school season. So you are probably looking for some back to school tips to make it easier

My daughter starts high school next week. I’m a little bit in denial about having a high schooler.

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How did that happen?

There are pluses to having a teen though because she can basically get herself ready and out the door each morning. She’s a lot more independent than she was in her younger years.

That doesn’t mean this season of starting school is not without stress though. I know that there are a lot of things that make back to school stressful and that can make this time of year hard.

There are ways to make this time of year easier though. It just takes a little bit of planning preparing and you can your family can have a less stressful transition back to school.

I think we all want our kids to have the best year ever when they start a new school year. Especially now after such a crazy 18 months of online and hybrid schooling through the pandemic. I’m really hopeful that the 2021-2022 school year will be an in-person and healthy school year for not only my daughter but all kids.

How to make back to school easier

1 create a back to school budget

Back to school can get expensive if you don’t prepare for the costs and plan them ahead of time. You need to create a back-to-school budget with the costs that you are going to be hit with.

From back to school clothes, new backpack, school supplies, getting haircuts, new shoes because they are constantly outgrowing shoes and clothes, plus school fees like PTA and clubs or sports.

It all very quickly adds up so if you don’t budget it for it and prepare yourself it can feel like you are blindsided by huge costs, especially if you have multiple kids.

So to make back to school not so tough on the wallet and to stretch your dollars as far as possible here are a couple of tips. First, make a list of all the things that you need that way you can keep fun and impulsive purchases to a minimum. Next shop sales. Check out your favorite shops for kids’ clothing and school supplies and see who is having sales and or have coupons.

2 Organize your family for back to school

If you want to make back to school less stressful one of the best things that you can do is to get your family organized. Being more organized will take some of the chaos out of your days and make it easier for you and your family to get up and ready for school and to come home and get done what needs to get done.

Some ways to be organized for school is to make sure closets are tidied up so clothes are easier to pick out and make sure that there is a place for shoes and backpacks to go so you can find them easily in the morning without wasting time looking for them daily.

Now that I have a high schooler this isn’t as much of a problem for me because she’s responsible for finding her own shoes and bag to head out the door. I did spend many stressful mornings looking for shoes over the years. Trying to not get out the door late.

Also, it’s extremely helpful to have a command center or designated area for papers to go when they get brought home and a calendar

3 Create a morning routine

One of the most stressful parts of school starting is going from carefree easy mornings to hectic busy mornings that can get quickly out of control.

That’s why it’s so important that if you want to simplify back to school that you make a morning routine for yourself and your family. This will make it easier for you all to get what needs to get done finished in time for you to get your kids out the door and to school on time.

So if you are looking for ways to make your school mornings less stressful first prep some the night before. What you get done at night won’t have to be done in the morning which will save you time. So make sure that lunches are packed and ready in the fridge, have backpacks ready to grab and take to school, plan out outfits the night before.

Then in the mornings make sure you know exactly what needs to be done. I have found that having a checklist is helpful especially for kids. To give them something to focus on and to know what they need to do next.

So I’ve created a fillable checklist for you to print out and make a copy for you and each of your kids. Make a list of everything that needs to get done in the morning before it’s time to leave for school.

Make your bed, brush your teeth, brush your hair, eat breakfast, make sure you have your lunch, make sure your backpack is ready to go, get dressed, put on your shoes, etc.

Having a clear list of what to do will save you the stress and headache of running around without purpose and missing getting things done.

Another way to simplify mornings is to make breakfast easier. You want it to not add to the stress of your morning. So here are more than 20 easy breakfast ideas to give a try.

4 Meal plan for easy dinners

Another source of back to school stress is having to make your evenings flow a little better. School starts and suddenly evenings have sports, clubs, homework, etc that need to be done.

Plus you still need to figure out dinner because if your kids are anything like my daughter they will be ready for dinner the minute they get home because she is always hungry.

So for me it’s so important that dinner is simple and as easy as possible. I don’t enjoy cooking and I’m not very good at it so the easier the better.

5 review expectations

Heading back to school can also be stressful for your kids as well. So it is so important to keep communication open betweek parents and children especially when things are changing. Starting school is a time of big change. Maybe your child is starting in a new school, you’ve moved to a new city or state so everything is different. Maybe their friend has moved away.

So many things can caus your kids to feel overwhelmed and stressed during this season. One way to make this time eadier and better for them is to review expectations and go over things together before school starts

What do you expect as far as grades, homework, doing chores, what time are you going to leave in the mornings, what are the after-school plans.

Have a family meeting and go over everything.