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It’s that time of year again — time to get your kids prepared to head back to school. Depending on where you live, your kids might be starting school in a couple weeks or you might have a full month left. But regardless of what day the school bus starts rolling, you’ll want to get prepared now. This post is sponsored, so extra thanks for reading and sharing.
I’m Jennifer from the blog The Life of Jennifer Dawn and contributor here at 5 Minutes for Mom. I’m here today to help you get prepared for back to school with twelve tips to get you and your kids ready to tackle a new school year. We’re also sharing a fantastic company that offers school supplies, backpacks, labels, and lunch boxes all personalized with your child’s name. Stuck on You has dozens of great products that make back to school shopping a breeze.
With Stuck on You and these 12 tips, you’ll be the most prepared mom on the block…
1. Buy Clothes and Supplies
Take inventory of the supplies you still have from the previous year. It may surprise you how much can be reused. Beat the rush and buy anything else you need early.
Prices on school supplies are at their lowest during this time of year, so be sure to stock up.
Stuck on You has many of the supplies that your child may need like pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, pencil pouches, rulers, and scissors.
They even have backpacks that can be personalized with cute designs and your child’s name. Do you need an extra bag for dance lessons or soccer practice? Stuck on You has you covered on those too.
This is a perfect time to clean out your child’s closet and sell or donate any clothes and shoes they’ve outgrown. Buy some basic pieces that will mix and match together to create a versatile back to school wardrobe.
2. Label Everything
Lunch boxes, water bottles, and school supplies always seem to wind up missing at some point during the year. It’s like they grow legs and wander off or something! Am I right? Save yourself and your kids a lot of stress and expense by labeling all of their lunch containers, bags, and supplies.
Stuck on You is a lifesaver when it comes to this step. They have bags, lunch containers, pencils, key chains, and more that can all be personalized with your child’s name.
The labeling is done for you! Order a pack of colored pencils or pens and it comes with each individual writing utensil personalized with your child’s name.
They also have customizable labels. There are iron-on labels for clothes, scratch-resistant labels for books, and even microwave and dishwasher safe labels for lunch containers and water bottles. How’s that for easy labeling?
3. Get on a Routine
Chances are that schedules and bedtimes haven’t been enforced as much during the break from school. Get the kids back on a regular routine about two weeks before school starts. This helps to gradually transition them back to consistent bedtimes and earlier wake-ups.
Establish a routine for the family to follow before and after school. With just a quick search on Pinterest, you can find dozens of printable routine cards and schedules. Choose one that will work best for your family and set it out as a visual reminder of the daily schedule.
Even though we are a homeschool family, there are still mornings when we have co-op classes, extracurricular activities, or other events to attend. Once I put a visual routine in place for getting ready, our mornings started flowing much smoother.
Having a set routine for the hours after school ensures that homework, family dinners, and extracurricular activities all run like clockwork. You want evenings and bedtime to run just as smoothly as your mornings.
4. Get Organized
As a homeschool mom, getting organized for us means setting up our homeschool room with all of the books and materials we’ll need for the year.
For you, it might mean creating a kitchen command center, homework station, or storage area for backpacks and shoes.
What area of your home or life needs a little organizational magic before the busy school days begin? What can you do to spruce it up?
5. Encourage Independence
Let the kids do as much as they are able on their own. Do you have a child who is old enough to make their own sandwich? Can one of the older kids help their younger siblings get dressed? Have your kids been given opportunities to complete tasks on their own for when you’re not there to help?
Encourage them to be as independent as they are able. This takes a lot off of your plate and helps them build confidence and responsibility.
As mothers, we naturally want to nurture and take care of our kids, but we also need to be willing to step back and allow them opportunities to make their own choices and do some things for themselves.
6. Create a Lunch and Snack Station
Speaking of encouraging independence…create a station filled with the supplies and healthy foods for the kids to prepare and pack their own lunches and snacks.
Designate a bin in the refrigerator and a cabinet or drawer as the holding area for lunch items. Water bottles, food containers, bags, utensils, napkins, spare condiments, and healthy food choices can all be kept in those designated areas to make packing lunches fun and easy.
7. Use a Calendar or Planner
Start by filling out the start and end dates for the school year. Then add-in any important school-related events. Make sure to include holidays and vacations. The school’s website will typically have a calendar that lists all of this information. Take a look and add those dates to your own calendar.
A planner will also help you keep track of appointments and extracurricular activities. You’ll feel more pulled together and organized if you have a clear idea of what’s coming up each week.
My husband and I even have a weekly meeting where we go over the calendar and make any necessary plans for the week ahead. It’s a great way for us to stay in communication with each other and support our kids’ education as a united front.
8. Get on a Housekeeping Routine
Cleaning schedules and menu plans will help you stay on top of running the house during the busiest months of the year.
Enlist the kids’ help, too! Assign them chores and tasks to do around your home. Many hands really do make light work!
9. Prepare the Kids
Schedule a one-on-one time which each of your children before school starts. Spend this time doing something fun together. Ask their thoughts and feelings about starting a new school year. Talk to them about what to expect this year. Do they have any questions or fears?
This special time together can help settle “beginning of the year” jitters and open up an honest line of communication that’ll hopefully remain open for the rest of the year.
10. Set Goals
Have each person in the family brainstorm a few attainable goals they’d like to accomplish during the year. Make sure to write them down somewhere to check progress and refer back to periodically.
Being goal-oriented is an excellent way to get the year off to a positive and productive start.
11. Prepare the Night Before
Get yourself and the kids into the habit of preparing everything you’ll need for school the night before. Pick out clothes, pack bags, and even prepare snacks and lunches.
Having these things done the night before will make your mornings much less stressful.
12. Stay Positive and Make It Fun!
Have you ever heard the saying, “If mom isn’t happy, nobody is happy.” There is a lot of truth to this. Moms set the mood for the rest of the household. If you are positive and upbeat about school, the kids will be as well. Learning and school should be exciting!
Make it a point to inject some fun into the process. Have a back to school celebration! Or even buy your child something special that will get them excited about starting school again.
Back to School Checklist – Free Printable
Are you feeling more prepared now? The beginning of a new year can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
To help you get super prepared, enjoy this FREE printable. It walks you through the steps that will get the school year off to a great start for you and your kids!
Click Here to Download a Print Ready PDF Version.
Remember to check out Stuck on You for fun, personalized products for going back to school.
Giveaway
We’re giving away a Stuck On You Prize Pack worth $95 and containing:
If you’d like to win, leave us a comment sharing a tip that helps you and your family prepare for the beginning of a new school year. Then complete your entry using the form below.
Open to US and Canadian residents except those in Quebec.
Follow Stuck On You:
facebook.com/stuckonyouofficial/
facebook.com/stuckonyou.usa/
instagram.com/stuckonyouofficial/
twitter.com/StuckOnYouTweet
au.pinterest.com/StuckonYouAust/
And Don’t Miss Our Back To School Giveaway
Would you like to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card for your back to school shopping?
Plus… CLICK HERE to enter to win a $200 Amazon Gift Card and 1 year of Trend Micro.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Stuck on You. All content and opinions are my own.
Written by 5 Minutes for Mom contributor Jennifer Dawn. Jenn blogs about living a beautiful and creative life at The Life of Jennifer Dawn.
Betty S says
Getting ready to go back to school is quite the process, we need to get them back into a better sleep routine and make sure clothes still fit and replace those that are too small or worn
Teresa A Thompson says
We start school sleeping schedules 2 weeks before school starts.
jan says
we have prepped a couple of lunches over the last couple of days to prepare for the beginning of a new school year.
Wanda B says
Writing out a schedule and posting it on the fridge really helps.
Sand says
We prepare as much as possible the night before to be ready form the next day!
Stephanie Liske says
We make lists, and take it all one step at a time.
LeAnn Harbert says
Start getting them use to going to bed early a couple of weeks before school starts.
Klydra Pugh says
Shopping all summer for school items when I do my regular shopping. With multiple school age children. It lightens our load.
Thanks for the chance.
Philip Lawrence says
We do our shopping for back to school items in the weeks before school starts and not the day before.
tiesha says
I treat my boys to a fun day back -to-school shopping where we go for lunch, and buy fun new clothes and school supplies. It is a celebration and a special mother son time for us!
Brittney House says
We pack our lunches and clothes the night before to make it go smoother in the mornings.
Leslie Davis says
Start preparing early
Hesper Fry says
We get school supplies early so we are not scrambling at the last moment.
Buddy Garrett says
Make sure the children get enough rest and eat healthy.
Meredith Brooks says
Getting back into a routine about a week before school starts & get as prepared as possible
Laura Emerson says
We have mini school morning drills where we get up at the times we will get up for school, get dressed, eat breakfast and grab backpacks. This way we get a good idea what to expect when school begins and helps them to ease into the new school year routine.
Jenn Beckett jennpup says
I start serving my kids lunches in their school bags the week before school to make sure they can open their items independently.
Donna Cliifford says
getting into a regular routine
Carina Vause says
If you have several kids you are shopping for supplies for – make one master “list” of everything you need at the store. Shuffling between 2,3 or more pieces of paper to see how many pencils each child needs, then how many glue, and so on takes forever, especially since teachers don’t all list the supplies in the same order. Then when you get home with all the bags of stuff – lay it all out and sort it by the individual lists, going through each childs full list at once and grabbing from the pile of purchases. You will regain HOURS of your life.
Janine Hwang says
Shop early for back to school deals! Even year round
AEKZ2 says
We put out clothes and make sure backpacks are near the door the night before school.
Meme says
We get out everything we need for the day the night before so we are ready to get up and out the door.
Shannon Baas says
Get them back on a schedule.
DanV says
We try to plan in advance to take advantage of back to school sales
Jennifer H. says
I would say get the back to school shopping done early and bags packed up the night before.
D Schmidt says
My best tip is to plan in advance and write a lot of lists.
Kathy Pease says
I always did school shopping throughout the summer so I wasn’t stressed last minute
Ed says
We pick out clothing for the next day the evening before.
Shane A says
We try to get them more excited and prepared for school by doing light reading and printable activity sheets.
Seyma Shabbir says
The best tip is to get an accurate list of supplies your child needs for the class. Get extras when you spot a great deal!
Angela says
Going to bed on time, packing lunch the night before, picking out the outfits for the entire week on Sunday.
BusyWorkingMama says
We shop in advance to beat the rush!
susan smoaks says
we start preparing early each summer so we don’t have to rush when it gets close to back to school time.
beverly harrold says
bottled water, sunblock, caffeine, chocolate any bribe that will work to convince the kids it will be ok to go back to school halfway thru summer when their online friends still have 2 months to go yet
Charity says
This will be the first year of us preparing for my son to go to school. My only tip so far is that to email the teacher before the beginning of classes to make them aware of any dietary, allergy, behavioural needs your child may have.
Tara Liebing says
We prepare by starting bedtime routine a couple weeks ahead of time and get school supplies ready and have them labeled.
Rhonda says
I’m all about making lists and checking things off…Starting early too.
Lauren says
We try to do as much as we can the night before so we don’t have to rush around in the morning.
LINDA G says
Getting all the school supplies ready. What can be reused and making purchases in early August.
Surinder Gurm says
Stock up on grocery essentials
Leslie Crosbie says
Every year I have a plan to get back on track but somehow we never follow it…hopefully this year will be different!!
Jennifer P. says
A tip that helps us get prepared every year is to get organized during the 2 weeks leading up to school. We have our semi-annual dentist appointments and annual eye exams in August, and we also book in a hair cut for everyone about 1 week before school. We go through the kids’ closets to see if there are any clothes or shoes (including jackets and boots) that may need to be purchased due to growth or wear and tear. We get all our school supply lists checked off (although we are already done that this year, with still 3+ weeks to go, yay!). We check backpacks to make sure they are still useable, ditto for lunch bags and containers. And the weekend before school we stock up the fridge and cupboards with our go-to foods for school snacks and lunches. Then when the first day of school arrives we feel all prepared and not panicked about missing/needing anything.
Tiffany Dayton says
Get organized and buy what you need before school starts.
Maritess says
We are trying to to get into a routine of waking up early and getting back to school shopping started.
Chris MacDonald says
Best tip is to do all your shopping in July so there is no stress in September
Lucy says
Make sure to not leave things to the last second!
Lisa A says
We make an end of summer bucket list so we can all go back knowing we spent the last of it having fun!
Chris L says
We start getting back on the school year sleeping schedule several weeks before school starts.
HEIDI C. says
As soon as I spot the back-to-school sales are starting, I stock up. I try to get extras of pencils, erasers, looseleaf, etc in case there is a need partway through the school year when the regular high prices are in place.
BlessedTA says
we shop for clothes and supplies
Meme says
We start our going to school routine of going to bed earlier and getting up earlier about 3 days before school starts.
Paol Trenny says
We set short and long term goals and establish a schedule early on.
LINDA G says
We start a return to our schedule, going to bed early, getting clothes organized and donating outgrown items to charity.
Katie Bellamy says
I get everything done the night before as often as I can!
Mel M says
I have a Kindergartner so we’ve been going to the school playground so he can get used to the area.
Jennifer Reed says
A tip that helps my family prepare for the beginning of a new school year is to start with the bedtime and waking routines about 1 week early.
winnie b says
we do some math/reading work book exericses
elizabeth miller says
The main thing we do, we start about 4 weeks before school starts. If say the kids have to get up at 6:30 for school, we start 4 weeks before making them get up by 7:30. We back it up 15 minutes each week so when school starts they are ready to get up and get going.
Doris Humber says
Set up a sleep routine a couple weeks before school starts. This helps to make a smooth transition into the school year.
Viv Sluys says
We’re going to start getting up and ready for the day at school time for a couple weeks before school starts so we’re ready for the early mornings.
Cheryl Chervitz says
I used to get things ready the night before, that way no hurrying in the morning. Also a couple of weeks before school start going to bed earlier and waking up earlier.
Janet M says
We go through clothes and older school supplies to see what is usable and then make lists for Back to school.
Mike Gismondi says
A few weeks before, we gradually start going to be earlier and getting up earlier to get back into school times.
Melissa says
always have some things ready the night before and get enough sleep to be energized for the day!
Emily D says
We do dentists visits and haircuts before the summer is over and then we start trying to get back on a schedule or routine.
Sarah Butler says
We try to schedule dental and optical visits before the start of the new school year.
Deborah W. says
We get ready for the school year by preparing ahead of time. Bedtime rituals and times, lunches, packing backpacks, practicing skills, etc. all start a few weeks before school does.
Linda says
We start sleeping earlier at night a few weeks before to get used to the early mornings for school.
Laurie P says
Plan ahead, make a list if necessary! and just keep things simple!
Julie says
We start talking about it so they have plenty of time to get used to the idea of going BTS. We also start putting them to bed a little earlier every night. And we also get them excited about BTS shopping, which helps.
Marissa M says
Shopping early and on sale!
Jennifer Cervantes says
We start waking them up early like they would be going to school and the whole routine about a week before so they will get moving once school starts. We also get backpacks and clothes together so it is done and nothing is missing.
Robin Abrams says
We shop early so there is no rush
Allyson Tice says
Always take advanatage of sales. Keep you r supply list with you at all times. grab things slowly when you find them cheap!
Dawn gordon says
The last week of summer we try to get bed times back to normal for one
This year I’d like to freeze up some thermas lunches that week as well this way it’s take it out the night before to defrost
Ashley Chassereau Parks says
Getting a schedule planned out and all the curriculum for the year helps us get ready for a new homeschool year.
colleenmarie says
Organize the house, it helps so much!
Ligia Groff says
This is our first school year (kinder). We have just been practicing taking turns and getting school supplies.
Cassandra Kazlovskis says
We pack lunches and bags the night before school.
rochelle haynes says
Shop for your cloths and supplies early
Jessi says
Getting back to the early bedtimes and wake ups a few weeks before school and having them get in the habit of having everything possible ready the night before.
Sarah De Diego says
When I’m unpacking things at the end of the year, I make a list of things that we need and put it on the fridge. Over the summer, I buy the items as they go on sale. Being organized is key!
Besos Sarah.
deena becker says
by the last week before school starts, I get back into our school routine, I don’t keep them as busy during the day, earlier bed time etc.
Jamie Williams says
We slowly start to go to bed earlier each week.
KENNETH OHL says
when the sales start up at Staples for school supplies and Office Depot we start buying them and same with back to school clothes watch for the sales and go shopping
Amber Hites says
We get back into the “school routine” and make sure we have all of our supplies!
TJ Turnbull says
the last two weeks of summer we start shedding off a few minutes of bed time so that when school starts it wont be so hard to get to bed early for the school mornings , thats our tip
Joni Mitchell says
We start getting back into our bath and bed routine.
Gricela says
I have my kids go to sleep early 2 weeks before school starts.
Edye says
We always look for good deals and shop early.
erin mcsweeney says
the week before start to get back on schedule with earlier bedtimes and scheduled meals
Aarone Mawdsley says
prepare schedules in advance
Rosa Cross says
We would always get the school supplies ready early so it was one less thing to think about when starting day came close.
Lauren U says
We try to get on our new schedule about a week before school starts so we’re ready.
Jonnie says
We start school bedtimes and a schoolday schedule up a week before the kids head back so we are well-rested and adjusted to more structure.
John Sweeney says
we go into school schedule a week beforehand
Marty says
We start getting back into the school year routine a few weeks before the first day.
Leela says
Stock up during BTS sales.
Shirley S says
My advice is to buy school supplies and start going to bed earlier a few weeks before school starts.
Cheryl B says
This year we maintained a normal school day bed time, keep our Dinner Time meals at the same time..hope this helps.
Kimmy Ripley says
I have my daughter start going to bed early a week before school starts. It helps so much!
Darcy Koch says
Around 2 weeks before school starts I have the kids go to bed a little earlier each night and then wake up the time they will be getting up for school.
Calvin F. says
Make sure to look for previous products you already have, sometimes you forget you have things already. Like a pack of unopened markers/sharpies. It’s wise to check before you go back to school shopping.
Marlene V says
We always try to get more into routine the couple weeks leading up to school. Going out less and making sure to go to bed and wakeup at school times!
Chantelle Daigle says
I find it helpful to “pick away” at the school supply list slowly over the summer, buying a thing here and a thing there, so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming in September!
Jen D. says
Don’t spend all of your back to school clothes budget before school begins, saving some for growth spurts. You can get by with two or three pairs of neutral jeans that you mix and match with everything. One year my daughter grew 8 inches. We were able to keep up by buying two pairs of jeans each time and a small number of shirts. New shoes were needed, too. You can’t always know when those years are going to happen, but if they don’t, it can be fun doing some shopping here and there to refresh wardrobes. Watch for great sales.
Meghan says
Try to be as organized as possible
Christine Lee says
We get ready by prepping all the school materials and that’s pretty much it. We relax until the school days come. I get lunch box meal ideas ready and make sure my kids have a snack when they get home.
Mike Flaman says
Our school actually has a program through Staples that provides all the neccessity for school supplies on the list and makes it so you can purchase it all online without stepping foot into a store
Elena says
I get my calendar filled out and all of their supplies ready to go.
Morgan Stewart says
We always prepare backpacks and lunches the night before!
Pauline Milner says
We get the kids on their back to school nighttime routine about 10 days before school starts. This way, there are no more arguments about staying up later on the night before school starts. We do let the kids stay up later through the summer. Thanks for the awesome giveaway opportunity.
Kelly D says
We buy our supplies as we see them on sale in the stores.
Anne Derkat says
We start getting into a school routine about 2 weeks before school starts.
Janine a says
Starting to get ready the week before, we hold on to summer as long as we can but switching bedtimes back a week early helps the transition
Michelle T says
We pre-prepare lunches and make sure that our backpacks are ready to go the night before. I hate a rushed school drop off.
Meekyung says
Make sure to shop with your student instead of giving them money
Melissa Fowers says
We plan ahead and start shopping right at the end of the year.
Tainan Lu says
We start the sleeping schedule about one week before
Kayla Klontz says
My advice is to get back on an early sleep schedule, plan outfits and such and set them out the night before, and to do small learning activities with your children even when they aren’t at school and even if it isn’t homework.
jennifer bowen says
we put out every thing we need for school the night befor that way it helps save time
elizabeth p says
We get back in the swing of things by making a schedule and following it.
Sarah Hall says
We start adjusting bedtime to closer to what it is on school nights and we encourage the children to refresh themselves with their school books.
Azeem Isaahaque says
We start by getting clothes and school stuff ready. Early bed and waking on time
ELIZABETH C. says
A good tip & what always worked for me is to purchase all school supplies & whatever else you need in advance. It makes life so much easier.
latanya says
we start my son by getting him to go back to sleep on his school time bedtime a few weeks before school
Michelle Hill says
I always started a week before school started in getting the kids schedules adjusted. Also, going over the bus rules and how to watch for traffic not stopping for the bus is a must.
Ashley C says
We try to start getting into a routine of going to bed on time and getting up early a couple of weeks before school starts!
Adrienne Gordon says
I get my kids into their morning routine a couple weeks before school starts.
Michele says
Thank you for the giveaway. We try to hit some of the great sales going on for her school supplies.
Anne says
We read and work on letters, maths, and organizing the books.
Peggy Nunn says
We start the sleeping schedule a week before it starts. I try to keep a steady for that week so they are better acclimated for it.
Annette says
We start going to bed a little earlier each night as we near the first day. It’s a lot easier than trying to do it the night before.