How to Stay Organized in the New School Year

Start Planning

I know everyone has a calendar on their cellphone, but I truly believe in having things written down as well. So, I save important events and dates into my Google Calendar, followed by writing them down in a planner. The daily, weekly, and monthly combination planners are so easy to throw in your purse or bag for work. This means they are with you at all times to help you stay organized with what is happening.

Erin Condren is a great choice for a personalized planner. You can customize the colors, name/title, and even add your own photos to it! They come in two separate bound 6-month books. These planners include extras like stickers, productivity pages, and quotes.

My other favorite place to pick up a portable planner is Target. There are a variety of different brands and styles. They are all extremely affordable as well!

A monthly wall or desk calendar is a great option to keep the entire family organized at home. Place it in a central space that all members have access to. This will make it easy to add events and important times to the calendar.

A more modern approach to the monthly calendar is a dry erase option! They are not only aesthetically pleasing but also easy to change since you can erase them.

Get Organized

Although every family may not have a separate workspace for homework, you can still create a functional and organized space! Having the supplies on hand that are needed will help kids get started tackling the homework much quicker. Storing these supplies in a caddy will make it easy to move them, especially if you do not have a dedicated homework station.

This caddy has eight separate plastic bins that you can fill with anything your child needs to get their homework completed. The bins do come out individually for easy usage but can easily be put back into the caddy to keep it organized.

A larger and truly mobile homework station supply organizer is a rolling cart. I love these because you can roll them into a closet when you are not being used. This cart comes in 14 different colors, but the rose gold is my personal favorite!

I recommend stocking your homework caddy with essentials like crayons, colored pencils, markers, paper, erasers, rulers, highlighters, and pencils. Other items that might be good to have one hand include a pencil sharpener, construction paper, glue, tape, scissors, index cards, sticky notes, and a dry erase board with markers.

If you do not have a dedicated desk for your student to work at, think about using a portable lap desk instead! It can be used anywhere throughout your home and easily stored when not in use. You can also set up a dedicated area at your table or kitchen island if that better suits your needs!

Prep for Lunches and Snacks

I highly recommend writing down what lunch will be each day of the week on Sunday. Whether it’s a Lunchable, leftovers, or lunch money for the cafeteria—planning it out in advance will save a lot of chaos. Check the school menu and if your student eats lunch in the cafeteria, then make sure they have money in their account or an envelope ready to go. Do the grocery shopping on the weekend if possible to make sure you are stocked for the week ahead. Plan your dinners out to ensure you will have leftovers if you intend to use those as lunches. In addition, I have found that if we write down our menu for the week ahead of time, we are much more likely to stick to it and eat out less.

Once you have it all planned out, then it is time to pack the lunches. I highly suggested doing this the night before instead of the morning of! I love a personalized lunchbox so that if/when it does end up in the lost and found, your child will easily be able to find it since it has their name on it. Another option is personalized name stickers. We use these and they are washable and stay put even once they go through the washing machine.

Using bento boxes is the perfect way to keep all the food organized and in one place when you pack the lunch! We use the Bentgo Chill Boxes and love the space they offer for food. They also have a separate frozen ice pack you slip on. The entire thing is easily cleanable in the sink or can be put in your dishwasher. They’re highly durable and will last for years! I have three of them, so I can pack multiple lunches at once for my son.

It is also a great idea to include a reusable water bottle to make sure they stay hydrated! There are many different brands and styles to keep water cold all day long. We personally love the Yeti Kids Water Bottle since it has a straw cap and is easy to clean. I’ve included some other kid favorites that are perfect for kids of all ages! Most of these styles can be engraved with their name or initials. Another great option is a washable sticker label!