How to Get Organized for Back to School

August 27, 2023

It’s that time of the year again - The end of Summer is here before you know it and it’s almost time to go back to school for the kiddo(s).

When it comes to starting something new or any kind of life change / life transition, I like to do a version of a Tidying Festival as it’s the best way I know to get ready. It helps me to be more intentional with how I want to live and what I bring into my home, as well as setting up our home to help support our vision. This week our Back to School mini Tidying Festival included only the related items such as clothing, books, paper, school supplies as well as lunch/snack containers and items. By going through everything will set us up for success for the upcoming school year.

Have a Vision

Discuss the vision and intention with your kids and ask for their input. Is there anything that worked well in the last school year? Is there anything that didn’t work well? What do they need in order to have a successful school year? What is the ideal school week routine look like? What type of lunch/snacks do they enjoy? Who is responsible for what? This is really going to help in the tidying process to decide what stays and what goes.

Make a List

People often associate back to school time with shopping - new school supplies, new clothes, new everything. This is why it’s important to tidy before you shop and make a shopping list of items you need to buy to help you be intentional about any potential purchases and save money.

To get ready for school, I went through all of my son’s clothes with him and had him try on some items to ensure they still fit. We let go of any item that are too small and/or anything that didn’t spark joy for him. For Emerson that meant colours he didn’t enjoy wearing, materials that were too thick or ones he found to be scratchy against his skin. We also looked through his small bin of “future clothes” (this is where I put clothes that were gifted but still too big or things I purchased in advance in a larger size) and add them into his dresser.

I am so glad we tidied before heading to the stores because it turned out we didn’t actually need to buy any new clothes for the upcoming school year.

Tidy by Category

Always tidy by category and not by room because sometimes we may store similar items in multiple spots around the home. By looking at everything together will help you see how much you have, compar similar items and keep the amount that feels right for you.

A Home for Everything

One of the keys to maintaining your space is to designate a home for everything. This includes a place for all the paper/documents/projects from school. A place to put backpacks. A place for all the lunch bags, snack containers and water bottles.

One of my favourite ways to keep paperwork under control is setting up a pending folder for school related paper. If you have multiple kids, I highly recommend setting one up for each kid. I love using magazine files for this purpose as they can sit on a book shelf, allows for vertical storage and generally reduces all the visual clutter of loose paper. At the end of the school year, we can then say thank you and discard all the remaining pieces to clear it out for the next school year.

As for backpacks, we have hooks by our entrance but every home is different so consider your flow and routine before choosing a spot that can either be out in the open or hidden behind a door or closet.

When in doubt, do what sparks joy for you! I hope you found these tips helpful and wish you a joyful school year ahead!