Oraganized Back to School - Article by Figen Genco Haigh

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Organized “Back To School” For Parents

By Figen Genco

It’s time to start thinking about sending the kids back to school. While some parents welcome the arrival of the school year, most parents see it as a chaotic and stressful event. There is a way to prevent the aggravation and make school days run smoothly.

The key is to get you and your children organized. Once you have a system up and running, there is no reason for all the running-around, screaming, frustrations and grief every morning.

Here are some tips for before and after the school starts.

Shopping: Check your children’s room and belongings before rushing out to buy clothes or school supplies. This will avoid buying duplicates and not buying what is really needed. Go through the belongings together, make a detailed list and save yourself an unnecessary trip to return things.

Mornings: Prepare everything a night before, and teach your kids to follow the same principal. They could pick out the clothes for next morning and leave them on a chair. Lunches could be labeled and stored in the fridge, ready to grab and go.

Designated Area: Create an area near the door for kids to put their things before they leave and when they arrive. This will avoid last minute “where is my….” stress.

Develop a Routine: Arrival, time to relax and have a snack, homework time, TV or games. Make a timetable and guide your kids to follow it.

Create a Filing System: It is never too early to learn good habits. Provide hanging holders, colored file folders, labels, and stickers. Categorize according to school subject or project. Personal papers, memorabilia and receipts could be stored in the filing system as well.

Supply Organizing Tools: Make it easy for your kids to find and organize things by providing the correct tools such as shelves, baskets, boxes, dividers and containers.

Mark The Belongings: If your child is very young, put his name on his belongings. This also includes clothing.

Pre-pick Clothes: At the weekend, decide on a weeks worth of outfits, and prepare them in different spots, this can be color-coded hangers or separate shelves. Make it a rule that they must stick with their clothing choice until the next week as much as weather permits.

Create An Unload Spot: Hang up a wall pocket in your kitchen for each child to drop the papers from school. This way they will not get forgotten in the backpacks.

Photocopy Forms: Make your own school folders for each child in your filing system and keep copies of regularly needed forms in there as well as contact numbers for school and other general school-related information.

Prepare Envelopes: Before the school year starts, pre-mark envelops with your child's name and grade on it. You can use a rubber stamp personalized address labels. You can use them for sending lunch money, permission slips, etc.

School Events: Mark three dates on your calendar for these events. Date for shopping for the supplies, date for preparation for the event, and the actual date the event takes place.

Prepare Lunches Together: You could do this at the weekend for or every night. If your child is too young to make a sandwich, he could help pack fruit, beverage, snacks or dessert.

by Figen Genco, Professional Organizer
Author of Organized For Life, Genco Organizes, 215-354-0275, www.organizer4u.com

Editors and publishers are free to reprint this article as long as it's reprinted in its entirety and the signature line remains intact.

Please direct a courtesy copy to www.organizer4u.com or snail mail it to:
Figen Genco
Genco Organizes
PO Box 240398
Langhorne, PA 19047

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