Simple Back to School Habits to Reduce Overwhelm, Save Time, and Create a Peaceful, Organized Home

As a new school year approaches, I simplify and take inventory of our closets, adding in a few fresh new outfits and some essential items that needed to be replaced. New school shoes are bought and water bottles, backpacks and lunch bags are placed on the hooks in the mudroom. I clean up our Inbox in our command station to make room for school papers and forms that will be making their way into our home very shortly. And I label everything using my favourite ultimate back to school combo by Mabel’s Labels. (*You can get a 10% discount using the code “ORGANIZEDWITHKIDS” at checkout.)

Besides the organization tips above, there are even more pressing things that we can do as parents to help create a smooth transition back to school and into the demands of a new school year for our little ones.

I’m talking about the predictable routines that we can create to eliminate “pain points” in our day and make more room for peace and calm to enter our homes during the transition from slow summer days to what often becomes full fast-paced fall days during the back to school season. 

Our 6 Indispensable Back To School Routines

1. Eat Dinner Together 

It seems as though the fast-paced, pack more into your day mentality has made its way into many a family home. The “more is more” mind set is one that often leaves us scrambling to throw a quick dinner together and eat it in the car on the way to the next activity. Call me old school, but I’m taking a stand to PROTECT the precious family bonding time that often naturally flows out of a good sit down family dinner each night. There is something about good food and un-rushed face to face time around a table that re-connects us after a long day apart.

• Aim for a consistent time
• No technology zone
• Use this time to re-connect, listen and to encourage each other

2. Pack Lunches After Dinner

After dinner, make it a family affair to clean up together and pack lunches. Have some bins in your pantry or kitchen cabinets and in your fridge that are filled with lunch essentials. That way your child can go through each bin and pick one thing out of each to make a lunch themselves! Our bins contain some of the following items: veggie packs, sandwich or wrap, crackers, cheese, yogurt, snack bags and fruit cups. We do a quick prep on Sunday afternoons for the week and again mid week to top up some of the items in the fridge. This is a must do to simplify your back to school morning routines! 

• Set up a simple system
• Teach your children how to make their own lunch
• Do this everyday after dinner while clean up is happening

3. Make time for Play

One of the things we can do when a full season arrives, is to go into “Survival Mode” and essentially eliminate all fun things out of our days just to make … it … through. But, as both a mom and former early childhood educator, I am an advocate for PLAY. It is often the way that our little ones process their days and feel re-connected to us. I’m not saying that you need to be your child’s #1 playmate, but I am saying that even 30 minutes a day of getting outside or getting down on the floor to build something with your child will make for healthier and happier families!

• Get outside and enjoy the season
• Spend time on the floor, at your child’s level, and be present
• Try getting crafty together
• Cuddle up and read together

4. Unload Your Dishwasher Before Bed To Make For Easier Mornings

In order to try to eliminate as many extra demands on us as I could in the morning during the busy back to school season, I adopted this habit a few years ago and it has stuck. One of the things that always seemed to get in the way of a smooth morning in our home, was the need to unload that dishwasher to make room for the breakfast dishes. I decided to start turning on the dishwasher right after dinner and made sure to unload it before bed. That way I was waking up to an EMPTY dishwasher and CLEAN sink … and let me tell you, this simple move has been a game changer in our home! We can keep up with the daily demands of dishes which means no more pile ups in the sink!

• Load the dishwasher right after dinner and turn it on
• Unload it before bed to eliminate one more task during the morning rush

5. Learn to Say No 

Have you been in a place where you realized you said YES to a few too many things and suddenly the demands on your time have left you feeling overwhelmed and in over your head? In order to avoid the “treading water” syndrome, my suggestion is to say NO to things that do not NEED your time, at least for the month of September. This pivotal step will make room for peaceful moments together as a family during the back to school transition.

• Consider saying no to unnecessary commitments for the month of September
• Protect WHITE SPACE: this allows for more breathing room for the whole family during this back to school transition
• Saying no to an over-committed schedule gives your child down time that will refresh them and reduce anxiety

6. One Load of Laundry a Day

I love this simple routine so much I wrote a whole post on it!

When a busy back to school season starts, I know that I want to protect the precious family time that we get each weekend. I do not want to be spending my Saturday drowning in a sea of laundry. So, about a year ago I started doing one load of laundry a day and it has simplified our life.

• Place ONE communal laundry basket in the hall by your bedrooms
• First thing in the morning, throw in the load on “EXPRESS WASH”
• Before you head out for the day, put the laundry in the dryer
• Put the clean laundry away before bed time each day

So there you have it, a not so typical back to school post! I truly believe that taking some time to think through what really matters to you in this season and addressing some of the “pain points” during last years school year will help to make the back to school transition a more peaceful and joyful experience!

Consider adopting at least one of the ideas listed in this post to bring more calm and connection to your days! 

Do you have any tips to simplify this busy back to school season, or any back to school routines that you can’t live without? I’d love to hear all about them in the comments section below!