Home Organization to Prep for the New School Year

by Corcoran McEnearney

Back to school time is just around the corner, and while you may already have started to stock up on classroom supplies and after school snacks for your kids, it’s important to think about streamlining your at-home space to get ready for this busy season, too.

Let’s face it: Fall fills up quickly, with kids’ sports games, parent/teacher conferences, field trips, and social events for parents! You’ll want to get ahead of the game by organizing your house so that once your schedule is jam packed with to do’s, you can at least come home to a space that’s orderly and welcoming. Here are some of our top tips.

Photo courtesy of Potter Barn Teen

Get that homework area into tip top shape

Whether your kids like to do their homework upstairs in their rooms or make use of a spot in the family room or basement instead, take advantage of this time before school starts and ensure that everything is ready to go. This means working with your child to clean out desk drawers and part with anything no longer needed (pens that are out of ink, papers from the last school year, and the like) and stock up on essentials (a calculator, protractor, set of colored pencils, you name it!). When school kicks into gear and your child has a mountain of work to tackle, you’ll both be grateful that you planned ahead.

Photo courtesy of Wayfair

Hang a calendar and begin to fill it out

Yes, it’s 2022, and you may be used to managing your schedule digitally. But hanging up a calendar that the entire family can consult (regardless of age or technical ability) can be useful. We aren’t talking about your mom’s paper calendar from the ‘90s, either. There are so many chic erasable calendars that are both eco-friendly and stylish (and make it easy to account for changing plans). Once the calendar is up, it’ll be easier for kids to keep track of where you’ll be on a given date (and vice versa). Plus, you’ll eliminate the likelihood of forgetting about your child’s group project meeting or the potluck happening on your cul-de-sac.

Do a quick closet cleanout

Focus on your kids’ spaces first, then address your own if time allows. Whether you have young children or teenagers, kids grow at a rapid pace, so it’s more than likely you’ll need to stock up on some basics before school starts—and won’t want to save that task for the last minute when the mall is overcrowded and picked over. Work with your child to make piles of clothing to keep, toss, and donate. Make a list of what needs to be replaced prior to the first day of school and then determine a plan of action (what can you buy in-store versus online, etc). Everyone knows that the first day of school is a little less painful when you like what you’re wearing, so use that as a motivator for kids who have a hard time parting with a single thing!

Once you take care of these three main tasks, you and your family will feel a bit less overwhelmed by summer coming to an end and perhaps start to get excited about fall and all of its possibilities. After all, despite being action packed, back to school time is pretty magical.

Sarah Lyon is a New York City-based freelance writer, originally from Bethesda, MD. She contributes to a number of national design and lifestyle publications like Architectural Digest, Apartment Therapy, MyDomaine, the Washington Post, and more. Sarah also works with designers to help them style spaces for photo shoots. Find more shelfies on her Instagram page, @sarahlyon9