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It’s that time of year again — the start of the new school year is in sight and that means it’s time to get back into a routine. That routine is going to look a lot different this year with remote learning, holding down a job and trying to stay sane. To help you out, we’ve got 10 clever ideas designed to make the back-to-school transition a little easier.
Lunch landing
Create a lunch landing space, so kids can help themselves to healthy snacks and choose their own lunch. This lunch station idea from Uncommon Designs has some great ideas to keep things organized.
First, free up some shelving in your pantry or kitchen. You’ll also want to grab some cork board (to tack up lunch menus) and a few baskets. You can add labels to each basket to categorize various lunch items, such as “sweet,” “salty” and “bread.” Now everything you need will be in one place.
Homework help
To keep your kids organized and on track at home, try making this helpful DIY homework caddy from Clean Mama.
Find a totable container to store homework supplies like paper, pencils, markers, glue, scissors and erasers. Blogger and mom Becky used a cutlery caddy and canning jars to arrange them all for easy access.
Study station
Now that you’ve got a convenient new homework caddy, it’s time to take the “work” out of homework by creating an inspiring study space for your little ones. Your kids will actually want to do their homework with this back-to-school homework station idea from Jessica at Mom 4 Real.
Jessica used scrapbook paper to make a fun banner to hang over the station and added a cork board to display important notes and art projects. Your kids will have a blast personalizing the space!
Cord organizer
Once kids hit middle school (and sometimes before), they have their own set of devices with charging cords. This sushi-like cord roll from Brit.co is perfect for keeping those cords organized. Teens can make the cord roll themselves, but parents will need to do the cutting for younger kids in this genius, no-sew project.
Freezer-friendly sandwiches
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a lunchbox staple for a reason — they’re economical, nutritious and quick to make (and likely to actually be eaten). Thanks to this smart tip from Delightful Order, it turns out they freeze well, too.
Mom DaNita makes and freezes ahead of time up to two loaves’ worth of delicious PB&Js to feed her brood of three. She neatly stores each in an individual plastic baggie, which she places in a labeled container. A little bit of planning at the start of the week can make things easier when life gets busy.
For more back-to-school time-saving tips — plus the secret to keeping the sandwich from getting soggy — check out DaNita’s blog.
A schedule that’s easy to follow
Create a color-coded clock so that kids can easily keep track of how much time to spend on each subject. Don’t forget to build in time for snacks, lunch, outside time, etc. The AOP website has some useful instructions for creating your own personalized clock and includes a free clock face printable. The beauty of this is that if things aren’t working, you can print the schedule out again and change the colors to reflect the new times.
Four simple steps
Even though the kids may not be going to school in person, it’s still a good idea to make lunches ahead of time so that you have time to catch up with work, life, chores, etc.!
Ashely over at Kitchen Meets Girl has a genius four-step plan to creating the perfect packed lunch. Always on the search for lunch items that are delicious, fun and healthy, she came up a system that incorporates all three criteria without getting boring or too repetitive.
Simply make a list of main courses that your little one likes, a list of fruits and veggies they can stomach and do the same for snack and drink categories. It really takes the guessing game out of packing your child’s lunch. Head to the full post for great ideas for each category, recipes, packing tips and more!
Portable homework binder
Create a binder like this one from Homemade By Carmona with all the supplies needed to do homework on the go. Just get a three-ring binder with pockets on the inside covers and additional supplies. Think loose-leaf paper, a pencil pouch with pencils, pens, erasers and paper clips, sticky notes, you name it! Then if your kid wants to do homework in the backyard, in another room or with their homework club, their supplies are organized and ready to go.
Get dinner under control
Of all school years, this one is going to be busy. Parents are working, helping kids with online school work, trying to keep the house clean-ish and provide meals. It’s a tall order but planning ahead will help. Bookmark these recipes for make-ahead meals, big batch recipes to freeze or sheet-pan favorites. If that all sounds like too much work, check out our roundup of healthy-ish frozen dinners you can buy, our list of super easy meals that don’t require too much effort or our time-saving recipes with shortcut ingredients.
Command center
Confine the family mess to one place with this family center idea by The Homes I Have Made. Backpacks, routine charts, shoes and emergency phone numbers all have a place to call home here so they don’t find a way to spread throughout the house.
Get your whole house in shape with these clever home décor ideas that will make your space more organized.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated for 2019. Writers Tiffany Doerr Guerzon and Rebekah Schilperoort contributed to this article.
