Here's a few back to school tips we are doing this year...
All three of my kids are now in elementary school. That means THREE schedules, THREE sets of folders and papers to keep up with, THREE sets of supplies and THREE of everything! I had to come up with some sort of system to keep it all straight!!! So here's what I did....I took the kids to the store and let each of them pick out their own folder. In these folders, I keep class schedules, fundraiser info, permission slips, notes from the teacher, weekly newsletters and so on. I keep the folders in a basket on top of a bookshelf I put in my kitchen. The bookshelf is our homework center(more on that later) and this way I will always know where these folders and papers are. They are easy to access in the mornings while we are packing lunches! So far, so good and we haven't forgotten anything yet!!!
The bookshelf has become our "homework center". My kids do their homework at the kitchen table, so that's why it's in the kitchen, but you could put one anywhere your family does homework. On this shelf we keep a basket of notebook paper, our empty lunchboxes, a 3 drawer organizer with markers, crayons, and scissors/glue in each drawer. I also have a small bucket of pencils and pens. Everything they need to complete their homework is right there! I also got three binders (in "their colors") to keep art work in. I put page protectors in them and when they bring home something I want to keep, we put it in there! No more boxes upon boxes of crumpled up construction paper! This center helps them stay focused on their homework. We don't have to search around for a pencil or paper, it's all right there!
We also implemented a new chore system. I made each one of them a magnetic board with a "to do" side and a "done" side. I printed a picture of the chores and laminated them and added a sticky magnet to the back. I pay $.25 per job that gets done each day. They have the opportunity to make $1 a day. I also printed out "mommy money" (fake dollars) to pay them, so that I don't run out of cash! Each kiddo had their own jar to put their money in. I have created the "mommy market" with prizes for them to buy. They have the choice to save up their "mommy money" and trade it in for real money to buy something at the store or they can spend it in the "mommy market". I shopped for items at the dollar store to put in there. They all have different prices from $.50-$5. They can go to the "mommy market" every two weeks or go to the real store once a month. This helps teach them about money and saving. So far they have loved getting their jobs done and earning money! I hope that lasts!!
I have also made a couple of things for me too! I decorated these two mini clipboards to use. One is for "to do's" and the other one I put magnets on the back of to hang on the fridge for "out of" items. We added a pen on a string to it so anyone that wants to add stuff to the out of list will always have a pen ready to go!
Back to school time is a wonderful time to start getting organized! It's just a fresh start time of year. With kids going back to school and following their teacher's new schedules, it's a great time to start new habits at home too!
If you're ready to get organized, check out my new book! "12 Weeks to an Organized Home"
You can purchase the instant download over on the right! You will receive the link to download the ebook within minutes of payment! It's a great time to get organized!
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