Before you know it, school will be right around the corner again. This is why getting a head start on the upcoming year is so beneficial. Summer break can be a great opportunity to declutter and organize, to ensure a smooth transition into fall. These simple tips can help you avoid any last-minute chaos so you and your family can ease into a stress-free September!
Out with the old. Edit out any clothing, outerwear, accessories, or shoes your child has outgrown, so you have a better idea of what they will need for the upcoming school year. Check the condition of their backpacks, lunch kits, and water bottles (mold can easily go undetected in hard-to-clean areas!). Create piles for donate, sell/consign (only if it’s a realistic goal) and toss (for items that are overworn or stained). Encourage your child to get involved in the process as much as possible.
Shop for new school gear ahead of time. Consider setting a budget and keep an eye out for sales to take advantage of the best deals – BOGO promos are great for this. Before purchasing new items, shop your own home for supplies you may have extra stock of such as pencils, markers, and binders. Purchasing clothing closer to the start of school can sometimes be a better option to avoid excessive shopping throughout the summer and to keep items in tip-top shape (sometimes children can’t resist the temptation of waiting until school starts to wear them!).
Label all your child’s items. This is a task that can easily get missed (even with the reminder emails schools often send out!). Let’s face it – good water bottles aren’t cheap, and neither are brand-name shoes or ball caps! Labelling your child’s items will give you the best chance at retrieving them if they go missing. Have you ever seen the lost and found areas at schools? If not, just visualize mountains of unlabelled items piled up on tables in hopes of being matched up with their owners. By the end of the school year, if items aren’t claimed, many are donated or thrown away, turning misplaced items into wasted money.
Stock up on school snacks. Purchase in bulk (if you have the space to store backstock) for the most cost-effective option. Create a section for school snacks in your pantry to help make preparing lunches that much easier. Unbox items into containers (clear bins with dividers are an excellent choice) and categorize by type of snack for an ideal space-saving solution that allows for quick identification of items, as well as an easy way to keep track of snacks you are running low on. This can also be a great opportunity to encourage more independence in your child by allowing them to choose and pack their own items.
Declutter schoolwork/artwork each summer. While this can be an extremely tedious task, it is also incredibly satisfying! The amount of stuff kids get sent home with at the end of the year can be overwhelming, and if you don’t tackle it in stages, it will eventually spiral out of control and can turn into a basement full of totes! Once it gets to that state, you probably won’t even want to deal with it at all. The trick is to make this task fun, and not stressful. Put on some music (let your child choose some songs) and go through items together. Let your child pick their favorite memories from the school year and select some of yours. If you have an existing memory bin, add the “keeps” to it, or start a new bin. You can label sections by each school year to keep it neat and organized.
It’s best to set some boundaries on how much school memorabilia you want to save (maybe one to two totes for example). Go through the previous school year’s items at the same time and see if there are any that you or your child may be ready to let go of to create more space. Another great idea is to hole-punch your child’s artwork and store it in binders (maybe even purchase some with cool designs!). This can be a fun way for you and your child to reminisce on their younger years!
One of the most important things to remember is to break processes down into manageable tasks. Start as small as you need to, create to-do lists, set timers, and get your child involved in helping as much as possible. Shop your stock at home first before purchasing anything new. Let go of items that are simply taking up space – they will be more useful to someone else in need.
Remind yourself that a clear space equals a clear mind. There is just something so extraordinary about the calm and peaceful feeling a clutter-free and organized home can bring to your environment.
Lisa is a mom of two and a Trained Professional Organizer. She is the owner of Light at The End of The Clutter Professional Organizing Services. For more information, visit her Instagram page at – Light at The End of The Clutter or her website, lightattheendoftheclutter.com.
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