Keep It Simple! The Back-To-School Checklist (For Parents)

Hey parents, it's that special time of year again, the kids are heading back to school!  But with all the excitement of a new school year comes the stress of preparing your little ones for another successful year.  Of course, the'll need the usual supplies, but what could make this transition a touch simpler on you? Well...check out our quick list below!

A Parent's Back-to-School Checklist

1. The Organization Board
If you don't have one already, get one!  Whether it's a cork board, white board, chalk, etc., this organized command center will help out the whole family.  Dinner plans, chore lists, important phone numbers, put 'em all there and you'll be forever grateful.

Image via House & Home

2. The Homework Station 
Whether it's in their rooms, at the dining room table, or in your home office, the kids need a designated homework station.  This space will become part of their routine, and will include all homework essentials (laptop, pencils, dictionary, etc.).  If you don't have one already, talk to the kids about where they would like to do their work, this way they can be a part of putting their workspace together.

3. The Snacks
Of course, we don't expect you to spend hours in the kitchen preparing snacks for school, but it's always nice to explore a few new recipes.  Take some time and dig through fun cooking websites like www.snapguide.com or www.foodgawker.com.  This little web crawl could be a fun activity to do with the whole family.  Get everyone excited about cooking and eating healthy!

Here's one of our favorite recipes...
Check out How to Make No Bake Energy Bites by Andrée of @HomeShows on Snapguide.
4. The Kids' Closets
Before you do your back to school shopping STOP and go through the closets with your kids, do a little organizing and purging.  You'll be sure to find some long lost treasures!

Image via Lonny

5. The Labeling
This task is very simple.  Before your kids step foot in the school, LABEL EVERYTHING!  Label with a permanent marker, stickers, tape, or iron on labels...whatever medium works best for the item.

Image & Labels via Bird's Party

6. The 'Goodbye Summer' Party
After you've completed all of the above, have a little fun.  Throw a 'Goodbye Summer' party in your yard.  This doesn't have to be too fussy, a little salad bar, some chips and salsa, and maybe some homemade popsicles!  Invite friends and family, play some music, and have a hula hoop contest.  While it may not seem like much, the kids will truly appreciate this final summer jam.

Image via House to Home 

We hope you found our little list helpful...

Wishing you all a great school year! 

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