Back-to-School Time Already! I’m Not Prepared!

Chalkboard next to backpack with school supplies list

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…there’ll be stricter bedtimes and all of the lines, at Target for supplies.

And yes, I am aware that the last line doesn’t go but I felt like I had to end it somehow.

I’m assuming by this time you probably already have all or most of the school shopping done for the year, but I figured this could still be beneficial in the coming years. If you haven’t started shopping for school supplies yet, “Aaaaaah, HURRY! HURRY!” just kidding, but you probably should get on that soon.

Luckily the public school that our kids attend supplies all of the school supplies. We were just as shocked as you are when we found that out! The obvious exceptions are backpacks, lunchboxes, and water bottles that they don’t supply, which is fine with us.

It’s crazy the number of school supplies/items that some schools are requiring these days. I’ve heard of some that require yoga mats, so the kids can sit outside for some classes. It’s good that the kids are getting outside, but what’s wrong with sitting on the grass, that’s what I had to do when I was little.

Now onto the purpose of this post which is, to help you get organized and plan for all of the back-to-school festivities.

Here are some things that you should find out/do ahead of time before the kids go back to school:

If your kids ride the bus, make sure the bus routes haven’t changed.
If you have a child going to a new school, find out the day and time that the school starts, what time it ends, if there are uniforms, and where you are supposed to go if you are picking your kids up and/or dropping them off at the school.
Make sure your kids have the necessary immunizations
Do they need a physical exam, eye exam, etc.?
School supplies (if the school doesn’t supply it). If you have more than one kid in school, be sure to sort the supplies in separate piles for each kid before the first day.
If your kids wear uniforms, do you need to order more?
Do your kids need new backpacks, clothes, or lunchboxes?
Stock up on after-school snacks and if your kids are going to pack their lunch, any items that you would pack for lunches.
If your kids are carpooling with someone to and/or from school, make sure they know where to meet their carpool.
Remember to notify the school if your child has a severe allergy or needs to take medication during school hours (the nurse will likely need to administer these)
Do you need to set up childcare for after school?
Do you need to register your child for any after-school activities or sports before school starts?
About 2 weeks before school starts back up start to make their bedtime earlier and wake them up earlier (if they’ve been sleeping in), so they can get into more of a routine for school.
It may also be a good idea to make some freezer meals for the first week of school if you feel like that is going to be chaotic or meal plan some easy-to-make meals for that week.
Put any important school dates (e.g. holidays, early dismissals, report cards, etc.) in your calendar NOW so you don’t forget later.
Clean out and reorganize your kid’s closets (get rid of any clothes that don’t fit them anymore or are too stained or worn to wear to school). After this, you’ll have a better idea of what new clothing items you need to focus on for each child.
Do your kids need new haircuts? Don’t forget to schedule these ahead of time, because hair stylists and barbers can fill up quickly around this time of the year.
I’m sure most of you do this, but if you don’t, be sure to lay out your kids back to school outfits the night before to make the morning run smoothly.

First Day Jitters

If your child is starting school for the first time, make sure you briefly go over what the school days will be like. Explain to them how long they will be at school, how many days, what the day will likely consist of, and that they will be able to meet new friends to play with.

It’s also a good idea to do a “dry run” or two. Get them up when they would be waking up for school, have them get dressed, eat breakfast, and leave the house and drive by where their school is. This will also help you to have an idea of how long the morning routine is going to take. If it takes longer than expected, you know that you need to get everyone up sooner.

If you or your little one has separation anxiety when it comes to the first day of school, here are some great tips from The EveryMom:

Draw a heart on your hand and your child’s hand and let them know that every time they look at the heart they’ll know you are thinking of them.
Read the book Llama Llama Misses Mama before school starts.

School Supply Shopping

Before you go shopping for school supplies make sure you go through all of the supplies that you have at home. You may not have to buy as much as you think. Also, if you live in the U.S. see if your state has a tax-free week or weekend. If your state does, they usually have these close to back-to-school season so you don’t have to pay taxes on back-to-school supplies.

If you’re like me, your back-to-school shopping plan likely consists of trying to get it all done in one day. It’s a better idea to break it up into several days, especially if you’re bringing the kids with you. You are likely to hear a lot of complaining if it starts to take too long. At least break up the back-to-school clothes shopping from the school supplies shopping, if you can.

I remember when I was younger, I loved back-to-school supplies shopping. It was exciting to pick out the designs for my notebooks, folders, trapper-keepers (do they even sell these anymore), etc. I would always gravitate toward the Lisa Frank stuff.

If your kids are like me when it comes to school supplies shopping, try to be patient with them and enjoy it with them. I know it might be annoying and tedious. Just be sure to plan for plenty of time so you are not rushing to leave the store. Neither you nor your kids will be happy in the end.

If possible, try to plan back-to-school shopping a month beforehand (unless your state doesn’t have a tax-free week/weekend until a few weeks before). Try to get as much done in advance, so you have time to double-check the supply lists and pick up any items that you may have forgotten.

Waiting until the week or the weekend before, you run the risk of the stores being sold out of items that you need.

Weekday Success

Very tired mom pouring coffee, but missing her cup and getting it on the table

To make your mornings run smoother prep what you can for their lunches the night before and make it a routine for your kids to have the school bags packed and hung up the night before. You can also create a morning routine for your kids to follow, such as make the bed, get dressed, brush hair, brush teeth, eat breakfast, and put on shoes and socks.

You can create these easily in the online program Canva it’s free and super easy to use. Just by typing in “morning routine” it will pop up a bunch of templates for you to use. You can use them, as is, or customize them. I also like to have a checklist for heading out the door, such as backpacks, lunch boxes, water bottles, signed papers, etc.

Lunches

I know we’ve all seen those super creative school lunch ideas all over Pinterest, but trust me, do yourself a favor and just keep it simple. Unless you always wake up way before you need to leave or have plenty of time to do it the night before, don’t bother.

If you’re anything like me it never turns out as good anyway. Your kids will still appreciate what you pack for them even if you don’t make it all “cutesy.”

It’s also a good idea to plan out school lunches with your child, so you pack items that they will actually eat. If they say that they want nothing but snacks (I, unfortunately, have one of those) then try to get them to think of some sort of sandwich or something that they “might eat.”

Pro Tip:

Even if your kids have their own lunchboxes, it’s a good idea to get at least a small pack of paper bag lunch bags. These are good if your kid forgets their lunchbox at school and for field trips. The field trips that my stepkids have taken have required them to have paper bag lunches that can be thrown away.

Breakfasts

While you are sitting down with the kids, be sure to find out what they want for breakfast that week too. This way you don’t have to hear, “We have nothing to eat!” every morning.

My fiance doesn’t agree with me on this (I wish he did though), but always make sure your kids eat at least a little something before they go to school, even if it’s just a granola bar. His son, only about half the time, actually eats breakfast.

I try to encourage him to eat at least a little something but John (my fiancé) doesn’t and thinks it’s not that big of a deal. I feel like eating breakfast does help to improve their concentration throughout the day or at least in the morning.

Planning Ahead

Having a monthly calendar visible for the whole family has really helped. I include items like when report cards go out, when the money for yearbooks and school photos are due, any days off or early dismissals, etc. My family command center, which includes the monthly calendar, is on our fridge.

I also include the weekly meal plan and post the school’s monthly menu, as sometimes the kids’ want to get the school lunch instead of packing their lunch. They can check for themselves each day to see if the school lunch is something that they want or if they would rather pack.

Summer always seems to fly by and pretty soon it’s going to be Christmas again! Let me know in the comments if you found this blog post helpful and if you have any other back-to-school tips you would like to share.

I hope you and your kids have a great start to the 2023-2024 school year or if you’re reading this in the future, whatever the school year that is coming up.

Back-to-School Time Already! I’m Not Prepared!

Here are some things that you should find out/do ahead of time before the kids go back to school:

First Day Jitters

School Supply Shopping