As a homeschooling mother I love back to school time and I know other schooling parents do too. I know though that for many parents it can be a stressful time. There are some things all of us can do though to help make back to school time a success and help carry us through another great year of education. These are a few things everyone can do at home and they might even save you money and time!
#1 Fall Cleaning
This one at first doesn’t seem to have much to do with the kids. In the end though it really does! They say a cluttered home can cause a cluttered mind and that is something we just don’t want distracting the kids. So do some fall cleaning, put summer clothing away, make sure everything has a home, and make sure your kids know where everything belongs. Have a special place for school shoes and backpacks and rain boots and jackets. One great tip for cleaning I hear over and over is to do washing everyday so it does not pile up but more so that Moms are finding they don’t have to sort colors and whites, just put that days washing into the washer after you shower that night, and before you tuck yourself in start the dryer. Get up and fold in the morning. This might not work for all of us but it might work for you so maybe try it!
#2 Go Clutter Free
By making sure that everything is clean as mentioned, it is so much easier to run a clean home when there isn’t so much clutter. Have a yard sale before the weather gets too cold! Be free of everything you don’t need because one of the things you do need is space. For us part of this is selling the old technology like cd’s and DVDs and using that money on new technology for the kids like their tablets. One of the great things about selling off the DVDs is that we can purchase them digitally to have them stored on devises or clouds and no more upset when a child scratches the heck out of them. Most people find that the more clear counter spaces they have the better they feel. My husband and I happen to like having things within arms reach and not tucked away so we have to work hard on this one. I know it is worth it though. Again, having a clean and clutter free home helps one focus on the important things. If your not busy with a million things going on in the home you will have more time for homework help and to give more time to your child’s school or interests.
#3 Home Work Space
The first two tips really lead up to this one, it is not a small thing either. Home work space is very important. While many of us grew up at the kitchen table and got use to having to pack up and move things for dinner or having our papers mixed up with siblings or having other people move our homework this doesn’t have to be the case for our kids. Dedicated space is the way to go. Each child should have a desk and special space so that they can work. It should have all the extra things they might need like pencils and pens and paper and of course their needed technology like computers, tablets, printers. Gone should be the days of the kitchen table clutter and dinner shuffle. Space can be hard to come by and extra supplies and a nice desk are not always cheap, so work with the two tips above this one and find a way to make it work!
Wishing you all a successful new back to school year!
