The school year can be a very stressful transition not only for students but for the entire family. If someone in your family experiences a back-to-school meltdown via a shopping trip or just the mere mention of going back to the rigorous routines that come with the daily grind of school, now that you have some time, spend it getting your child and your home prepared and organized for the upcoming year. Here are a few solutions that may help reduce the school-days stress:
IN AND OUT. Set up an IN and OUT station in your home for papers that need to be signed, reviewed, or acted on. (For example, leave yourself written reminders, such as, “Please get large white poster board for Erica.” or “Kevin needs gym shorts.”) This can be as simple as two stacking trays, a bulletin board with two pushpins, or anything that will work in your home. Each child is responsible for putting the paper to be signed or acted on into the IN box; the parent signs or acts on the requests as needed, before the deadline. If the child doesn’t use the request box, it is likely the request won’t be met. Even a kindergartner can learn to do this with a little instruction.
THE FAMILY CALENDAR. When it comes to a planning calendar, it is best to have one combined calendar for personal, family, and business commitments. This makes it a quick and easy spot for anyone in the family to know who has what going on, as well as to know when there is available time. (Be sure it is large enough to hold your family’s schedules, and place it in a location that is easy for everyone to get to.) A great way to maximize the efficiency of this tool is to assign an ink color to each family member and write all of their commitments with their corresponding color. If your children are in middle school or even older, one of their responsibilities could be actually putting their commitments on the calendar instead of telling Mom or Dad.
ACTIVITIES. Keep a desktop filing system for schoolwork and other active papers. Within this system, you might have files for each child (color coded) that include some of the following topics: Work in Progress, Work to Save (move to keepsake box monthly/yearly to avoid build-up), School Information (phone numbers, email addresses, dress code, club/team/class information), the ever important-Events to Attend (for parties, meetings, field trips). The events to attend should be written on the family calendar first and then put into the file until the date it is needed. This filing system will be more effective when kept in a high traffic area or by your family calendar.
A PLACE FOR ALL THOSE PAPERS. Provide children with a space to file papers they want to keep but that don’t need to go back and forth to school. Label the files by class and action. Assist them with throwing away any papers no longer needed. A great way to do this is to assign each child a three-ring binder with enough dividers for each subject. When they sort through their bag, they can put the items to keep in the appropriate subject file and toss whatever they don’t need to keep. Store the binder in a convenient location and label it, “(Name)-Papers to Keep”.
ORGANIZED AT SCHOOL. Create a three-ring binder with dividers labeled: Information for Parents/To Be Signed, Papers to Return to School, Homework Assignments, Homework in Progress, Graded Papers, and any other topic that may be needed. (Try not to have more than seven categories.) This binder should be taken to and used in all classes. There is no need to separate by subject matter because if you have homework in math, you have homework!
BREAK IT DOWN. Help your children break down large projects into small pieces that can easily be accomplished in one sitting. Schedule deadlines on the family calendar for finishing each step of the project. This will help to teach them the value of doing homework or a project early enough so there is time to check it over. Before you know it, they will be breaking them down on their own.
CHECKS AND BALANCES. Set up checklists for accomplishing schoolwork and other tasks. Be sure you’ve discussed who will be responsible for checking off something once it has been completed. It also helps to motivate children if they have a goal to reach rather than simply completing their tasks. Decide together on an incentive they can achieve-be it daily, weekly, or monthly.
HOMEWORK/STUDY HABITS. Have a designated study area that is free from distractions, and be sure to have ample supplies available. (The fewer diversions, the more efficient their time will be.) Set up study routines (time, place, duration, etc.) and help them stick to the routine. Kids thrive on structure.
Tara Clawson is the owner of Innovative Organizing and a home and office organizing consultant.
