Preparing you and your family for going back to school

This is a sponsored guest post from Evelyn Long of Renovated Magazine. Interested in having your post appear on Imagine it Done's blog? Apply here.

August and September sneak up on families. Suddenly, it’s back-to-school season again, just when it felt like the stretch of summer wasn’t going away anytime soon. One minute, you’re enjoying late bedtimes and lazy mornings, then the next you’re racing to find missing shoes before the bus comes.

If you’re a parent who’s been through this before, you know all too well that getting ready for the academic year goes beyond buying pencils and notebooks. That’s the easy part.

Back to school is all about setting up your home and mindset. Here’s how to make that happen.

1. Start Bedtimes Early, Long Before the First Day

Switching from summer to school wake-up times can be rough. Elementary-aged children need at least 9 hours of sleep every night. Losing at least one hour can already make for grumpy kids who have trouble focusing and learning during class.

Instead of immediately jumping to a strict sleep schedule, shift bedtime 15 minutes earlier every few nights in the week or two before school starts. Then do the same with wake-up times. This slow reset helps the first Monday morning feel less like a shock and more like a normal day.

2. Create a Morning-Flow Zone

A significant cause of school-morning stress for parents is the never-ending “Mom, where’s my…?” moments. Having a dedicated spot for each kid’s backpacks, shoes, jackets and lunchboxes can save you from last-minute searches.

Preparing the night before minimizes your morning prep time. A simple bench setup near your entryway with hooks above and bins below works wonders. The key is consistency — everything goes in the same place every day. It also empowers children to be responsible for where their items are.

3. Lock in a Weekly Family Calendar

With after-school activities, meetings and homework, schedules can easily collide or be overlooked. A shared family calendar helps keep everyone on the same page. Schedules for regular activities also build a sense of security in the predictability of things and help the child mentally prepare for the next event or activity.

You can even color-code your calendar by person or activity. Put it in a high-traffic spot, like the kitchen or living room so that no one can say, “Oops! I didn’t know.”

4. Stock a School-Year Command Center

The average person spends 2.5 days annually searching for misplaced items. With thoughtful additions in your home, you can save at least 60 hours. A small setup for homework supplies, permission slips and school notices keeps clutter from taking over every surface.

5. Meal Plan Like a Pro

Last-minute lunch packing is a stress trap, especially early in the morning. It makes quick takeout meals so tempting when you dread cooking every day. Parents who plan meals ahead of time eat a more nutritionally balanced diet, especially since they know what’s in their food.

You can start by choosing one day a week when you cook double portions and store half. Soups and stews can last for three months in the freezer, while cooked meat can last up to half a year. Prep fruits, veggies and snacks in bulk so kids can grab what they like and pack it for themselves.

6. Organize the House

Once the children return to school, your house can quickly fill up with different sports gear, bulky science projects and seasonal items. Before that happens, clear out last year’s hastily stored clutter and set up an organized system.

Use plastic bins with clear labels to find what you need without opening each one. This simple system ensures soccer gear, art supplies or school uniforms are always easy to find.

Make sure to consider where these items are being stored as well. Spaces that are prone to leaks and bugs, like basements, attics and garages, often need additional care to store items safely. Keep these spaces well-insulated to prevent mold from settling in stored items and check items regularly for any dirt, mold or holes.

7. Refresh the Kids’ Rooms

The first week of school is the perfect time for a quiet declutter. Sort through clothes, toys and books while they’re away. If they haven’t used it all summer, it might be time to donate or store it. Use the 12-12-12 decluttering system to ease into the purge.

Less clutter means more leisurely mornings, as you won’t have to waste time digging for clothes that fit or homework supplies buried under toys.

8. Tackle Bigger Home Projects Midday

Stay-at-home parents often find the early school months ideal for home tasks that are hard to do with kids around. Think deep-cleaning carpets, painting or scheduling maintenance. Spreading these jobs across the first couple of months prevents the stressful holiday season scramble to get the house in shape.

9. Keep the First Few Weeks Light

Overbooking the start of the school year can overwhelm kids, not to mention you too. Research from the University of Michigan shows that children in overscheduled households are more prone to anxiety, depression and anger issues. Limit new commitments until routines are stable. Give everyone space to adjust before adding more activities. And even then, set a few hours of unscheduled activities to let kids be kids.

Ready, Set, School!

Parents must prepare for the back-to-school chaos to manage the household and create smoother transitions, calmer mornings and optimized evenings. The academic year will still bring surprises, such as last-minute bake sales and forgotten permission slips, but with the right systems in place, you’ll handle them without the stress spiral.

Evelyn Long is a recognized expert in organization and decluttering, dedicated to helping individuals create clutter-free homes and minds. She contributes her insights to publications such as the National Association of Realtors and Tidied by K, while also serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Renovated Magazine. Through her work, Evelyn inspires readers to embrace simplicity and efficiency in their everyday lives.