Five Strategies to Keep Families Organized this School Year

Start the school year off right and conquer the craziness by establishing healthy habits, strategies, and routines that will focus and guide your family throughout the school year.

• Use a Family Calendar - Keeping track of everyone’s schedule can be crazy at times, but is much simpler if you use a family calendar hung in a central location. Most family calendars allow families to keep track of individual family members’ schedule all in one place as well as do lists, friends and family contact information, kids’ chores, and daily reminders. Teach spouses and kids how to use the calendar and add items. By teaching the kids how to use the calendar, they become more aware of the things they take on and eventually are better able to manage their time and commitments

• Make an Honest Evaluation of Commitments - Before signing kids up for extra curricular activities or volunteering for another committee at school, sit down as a family and honestly evaluate how much everyone should commit to during the school year. Kids and parents who are over scheduled get burned out very easily and what seemed like fun at the beginning has quickly become a not so fun chore. Be willing half way through the school year to re-evaluate and make changes to your commitments. Teaching yourself and kids to say no can be hard, but in the long run is a benefit to all.

• Establish a System for Paper - Kids bring home lots and lots of paper every day and without a system to handle the paper it can become overwhelming. Use a color coded folder or paperwork organizer folder for the kids’ paperwork and make it a point to sort through it everyday.  Sorting through the paperwork is a great thing for parents to do while kids are working on their homework. Parents are still close by to help with the homework and are able to get their “homework” done as well.

• Establish Routines and Stick with Them - Cut down on the chaos by establishing morning and bedtime routines. By using daily routines, kids quickly learn what to expect and are better prepared to start doing things for themselves. Start the morning routine by getting the kids up at the same time everyday and teaching them to get dressed, make their beds, and take care of personal hygiene like brushing their teeth and combing their hair. Finish the day with routines that include getting homework done during the assigned “study hour”, packing backpacks for the next day, showering, picking up their toys, and getting ready for bed. Doing all of this before the TV gets turned on is a big motivator for the kids.

• Pre-Plan as Much as Possible - Try and minimize last minute running and chaos by taking care of as much as possible in advance. The night before lay out clothes, pack homework, library books, and gym shoes, and decide whether they will be packing or buying their lunch. Pre-packing lunches the night before is also a big time saver in the morning. Packing drinks, snacks, and napkins the night before will make getting lunches ready the next day much easier. On Sunday’s take a look at the family calendar for the week and arrange for any car pools, baby sitters, and play dates. Sunday’s are also a great day to write out any notes for the teachers or sign any permission slips.

Family Activities for Fall

Bury Yourselves in Leaves – This by far is the most inexpensive family activity for fall and one in which all family members can participate in some way. Start by giving everyone big enough a rake and together work all the leaves into one large gigantic pile. Hold contests to see who can make the biggest and funniest jump into the leaves or take turns burying each other in the leaves. Another option is to make a maze with the leaves. You can use this website to help plan your design. Be sure to have a camera on hand.

Take a Hayride – This is a big hit with the kids and parents do their best to tolerate the jerks, bumps and pains in their backs. Many pumpkin farms offer hayrides for families, so this is an easy way to combine two activities into one.

Visit a Farm – Many farms are now opening their barn doors to families during the fall months and hosting activities such as cow milking, sheep sheering, butter making, and yes even those back breaking hay rides.

Make Apple Cider and Caramel Apples – What better way to enjoy the apples of the season than with warm cider, caramel apples, and apple crisp? These are great for those colder fall evenings as an after dinner snack.

Visit a Corn Maze – Many farmers are converting their harvested corn fields into corn mazes and inviting families to find their way out. This is a great activity for families with older kids who love to explore. To find a corn maze in your area click here.

Take a Hike - Take advantage of the cooler weather and beautiful foliage and hike through the woods. Collect leaves to make place mats or add to a family scrapbook, memory box, or time capsule. Your collectibles can also be used to make great family totem poles.

Visit a Historic Museum – Many historic museums and villages offer historic harvesting activities for families. This is a great way to spend a warm sunny Sunday afternoon.

Carve a Pumpkin – What child doesn’t love scooping out the messy goo of a pumpkin?

Visit a Haunted House – This is an activity for only the bravest of families. Click here to find one in your local area.

Visit a Cider Mill – Enjoy the sweet smell of fresh apples and warm cider by visiting a cider mill.