Friday, August 23, 2019

By Barbara Pronin

For most parents, and children, back-to-school time is exciting—a time for new clothes, new friends and new schedules to follow. But it takes a lot of planning and organization to keep those schedules on track. From Good Housekeeping Magazine come some sensible hacks to help ward off hectic mornings, lost permission slips and untimely battery failure:

Play keep vs. toss. Put on a favorite movie and place two cartons in front of the TV. Have each kid try on last year’s clothes while watching the movie, then toss them into the appropriate boxes.

Keep spares in your car. If you drive your kids to school, pack two or three sturdy plastic bags to keep in your car, one with tech needs like spare chargers and batteries, one with first-aid necessities and extra hair ties, and another with homework helpers like a calculator and extra pens and pencils. 

Post a family calendar. Keep everyone's schedules straight on a large calendar posted in a prominent place. Color code it if you’d like, and write in meetings, practices and appointments so shared reminders are always in view. 

Post a chart for little ones. As teachers know, kids respond to gold stars and recognition. Post a work chart on the fridge listing the child’s chores and responsibilities. Getting a gold star for remembering to take out the trash each night for a week should help keep kids on track.

Use sticky notes. No need to remind your kid three times to feed the cat or take his tennis racquet to school. Post a sticky note on his door, or wherever it can’t be missed. It’s a simple solution, but it works. 

Get a file box. No more paperwork going missing. Color code file box sections for each kid, giving everyone a place to file past assignments, current or upcoming work, reference materials, etc.

Start a supply stash. Buy poster board, markers, index cards and other school supplies in bulk while they’re on sale prior to the school year starting. Keeping a stash on hand all year will ensure your children have exactly what they need to complete any and all assignments. 

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