Back2School: Getting Ready For School Checklist

Are you ready for Back2School? With 3 kids and another on the way, I’ve learned that I need to go into the new school year with a plan. I make a getting ready for school checklist to help stay on track.

I’m excited that this year our littlest will be entering the 3-year-old program at the same school as our oldest children. That means I’ll have a few months of kid-free days before the new baby arrives.

I can’t even imagine what it will be like after almost a decade of being a stay-at-home or work-from-home mom.

With that said, summer break is halfway over (how did that happen), and it’s time for Back2School shopping and prep.

Keep reading from my getting ready for school checklist and tips to help your family make this back-to-school season easier.

Back2School Shopping

Shop smarter! We all know we will be doing some Back2School shopping, but there are ways to do it better.

First, I clothing shop pretty much all year long. I look for clearance items or end-of-the-season sales to get the best deals on the next size up. 

By mid-summer, we go through the kids’ closets and drawers to remove their outgrown clothing. Then, we check the clothes purchased during the year. If there is anything needed, we put it on our getting ready for school checklist.

When shopping, we bring our lists of clothes, lunch items, and the school lists too. and mark off the items as we go. This works best so we don’t forget anything.

After all, I only want to do the shopping once.

And it’s always a good idea to google what kind of savings your city or state offers as well…for example, here in Florida, we have a Back2School tax-free shopping holiday. This year it is up to 10 days long, which makes it so easy to schedule a day or two for back-to-school shopping

If you have a larger family like ours, try to buy in bulk when you can. This is helpful with glue sticks, pencils, and lunch items.

We also save money by purchasing store brands when we can.

But a helpful tip is to let family members know how they can help you with back-to-school. When grandparents ask to get helpful things during the year we mention items like backpacks, reusable water bottles, and special lunch boxes.

Back to School Bedtime

Creating a healthy sleep routine is a must on our getting ready for school checklist. School-aged children, six to thirteen years old, need 9-11 hours of sleep each night.

The National Sleep Foundation says that poor sleep in school-aged children can lead to behavioral problems like ADHD, mood swings, and cognitive problems that may impact their ability to learn in school. 

We get more lenient with bedtimes during the summer break. To help the transition back to school appropriate bedtimes, we adjust our routine days ahead. I begin moving bedtime/wake-time by 15 minutes earlier every 2-3 nights until we get to the appropriate bedtime.

This makes the Back2School transition easier on your child and prevents potential jetlag symptoms on the first day of school. 

Make Back2School Mornings Easy 

Practice makes perfect, and this goes for any routine. Start practicing a morning routine the week before school. 

I made a morning chart, using pictures versus words, to help the children go through the steps needed to get ready. Look for my free printable below.

It’s important to keep your cool, so your children don’t get stubborn. Try to stay positive and give lots of praise as they complete the steps.

Another important Back2School tip is to do as much getting ready for school as you can the night before. Help your child check her lay out her clothes, backpack, and make her lunch. We have another great article on our morning routine that I think is really helpful.

Also, planning a healthy breakfast can take the guesswork out of morning meals. This may give you some precious minutes to relax with a cup of tea (or coffee—yummmm) before running out the door.

School Lunch How To’s

Speaking of making lunches, it’s a great idea to practice making school lunches with your children. I like giving them a few healthy options to choose from. I let the older children make their lunch the night before which not only helps me out it develops responsibility, builds confidence, but also creates enthusiasm to eat healthy food.

Keep it simple. 

I limit it to three options such as a choice between whole grain bread, spinach tortillas, or wheat crackers for their grain. Or for veggies, I’ll give the choice between cucumbers, carrots, or spinach leaves. 

We change up the options the next time we grocery shop. The kids love the independence, and the hardest part is remembering to have them do it.

Organization, a Getting Ready For School Checklist 

92% of parents describe their child as messy. Kids need our help to learn good organizational skills. These skills will last a lifetime.

I created “drop zones” so their school items have a designated place when they get home. This cuts down on jackets, shoes, and backpacks laying on the floor.

Use a coat rack, hooks, or large baskets to create your “drop zone” in the most useful place for your family.

We have a coat tree/shoe rack combo for them to hang their items. And on the wall, I have a basket for each child to place their homework and folders.

Back2School Made Easy

This getting ready for school checklist hits all of the bases. I hope they help you and your family with your Back2School readiness. If you’re looking for more back-to-school tips check out this post on morning routines.

And if your littles will be participating in online learning this coming year check out these fabulous online learning tips.

If you have any helpful back-to-school tips, drop them in the comments below. We all are more successful together!

Download you FREE Morning Routine Printable HERE!