Whether you have one child in school or you are sending your kiddos off to college, the back to school season can sometimes get chaotic. From after school sports and activities to homework assignments, it can get overwhelming at times. But it can also be a great time to take a step back and get organized as a family. Here are some things we have found helpful to keeping our families organized as well as a few fun extracurriculars for the kids!
Reduce Closet Clutter
With growing families, it can be hard to stay organized especially when siblings have to share a room. Add in growing children who are constantly sizing out of their clothing and your closet might look like ours. We have storage bins with hand me downs, baby gear, and seasonal clothing. All stacked and arranged like a game of Tetris. We were so excited when we received our Modular Closets Shelf Tower Our plan is to use it as an anchor for the closet. The top part are adjustable shelves which we can change depending on our needs and the bottom part is a set of drawers. Modular Closets can help you redesign your closet or you can simply purchase items on your own. The drawers are made of solid Birch and have English dovetail joints. Getting a closet organizer has been a catalyst for us decluttering our closet!
Paperwork and Purposeful Planning
Call me old-fashioned, but I love a good paper planner. There is just something about crossing something off my to-do-list. Plus when you are managing multiple people’s schedules it is helpful to have it all in one landing place. My favorite part of Purposeful Planner are the monthly goals and task lists. I try and sit down at the beginning of each month to reflect on the previous month and then look ahead at the next. I love using her washi tape, stickers and bands to jazz up the pages. I also add chipboard letters and planner stickers too. If you rely more on your digital planner, she has some great notepads that you can put next to your phone or computer to help you jot things down.
And we love when our kids learn and bring home their work to show off their skills. Whether it’s a great grade on an assignment or cool art project, some papers you definitely want to save for years and years as keepsakes and milestone reminders. Savor has cool binders for school age kids to store it all in one spot. They believe the difference is in the details and have created storage boxes for baby, school-aged kids and weddings. This way all the firsts, favorite items and personal notes are able to be saved in one spot. The labels help prompt you as to what’s important to keep and you can personalize the boxes with names, initials and photos.
Creating a Study Area/Bedroom with a Classroom Twist
What better way to make learning fun than to create a fun learning environment with Lorena Canals rugs and accessories. Their latest line includes rugs with math equations and maps, ruler, notebook and eraser pillows and pencil storage bins. Perfect for a reading nook, study area or bedroom. We love their rugs because they have fun designs to brighten any space and they are machine washable. Even the cushions are washable. We love throwing them in the washing machine and they look brand new. We find the storage bins to be great to keep our family organized. Each child has a designated bin for their toys. When it comes to tidying up, they have to get their toys back into that bin.
Streamline Supplies
Instead of having several bags or piles around the room or art supplies like crayons, coloring books, chalk, play doh and more… consider a way to consolidate with items that have space to keep all the items in one place. Delta Children has a variety products from activity desks to art easels, storage ladders and bins. Delta Children was founded around the idea of making safe, high-quality children’s furniture affordable for all families. They know there’s nothing more important than safety when it comes your child’s space. That’s why all Delta Children products are built with long-lasing materials to ensure they stand up to years of jumping and playing. Plus, they are rigorously tested to meet or exceed all industry safety standards.
From Ninja Gymnastics to Nutcracker Dance Classes… YMCA Programs for Kids
One of the things that keeps our family organized is picking out a few activities to be involved in. We try to avoid having something every single day and we try to avoid having too many activities. The fall is a great time to pick out a new class or activity. Especially with having to sit all day long in a classroom, it can be good to pick out an active activity. Ninja Gymnastics is perfect for those little ones that have lots of energy, especially toddler boys. Using obstacle courses, equipment stations our little ninjas learn how to run, vault, climb and roll over obstacles. The YMCA is great because they are national and have 18 locations here in San Diego. Here are a few fun options at different facilities and for different age groups:
Nutcracker Youth Dance Class: Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA (Encinitas) — Age: 4-16
Rookie Sports Golf: Dan McKinney Family YMCA (La Jolla) — Ages: 4-7
Beg PeeWee Skateboard Lessons: Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA — Ages: 3-5
Cheerleading: Jackie Robinson Family YMCA (Southeast San Diego) — Ages: 5-8
Little Ninjas: Toby Wells YMCA (Kearny Mesa) — Ages: 3-5
Padel Tennis: Beach and Bay Family YMCA (Pacific Beach) — Ages: 5+
