These Back to School Organization Ideas are going to be lifesavers once you’re knee-deep in the chaos that is the first few weeks of school.
Don’t worry, this isn’t a full-out Marie Kondo organization plan. It’s not going to take you an entire weekend to get yourself and your home ready for the school season.
It is simple organization tips to help you declutter and prep the areas of your home & life that returning to school impacts the most.
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It’s time to get Back to School Organized
There are several areas we are going to cover in our tips for back-to-school organization guide.
They are divided into categories to help you choose and pick the ones that apply to your family.
For example, if your kids don’t take their lunch to school, then you can skip right over that part.
Also, if you have any organizational tips or hacks that would help out other busy parents, please drop them in the comments below.
It takes a village after all; especially when it’s back to school time.
Back to School Paperwork Organization
Before you jump into an organization frenzy, try printing out our free Back to School Checklist.
It was made to keep track of all those back-to-school to-do’s. However, it would work great to jot down the items below that you are going to organize.
OLD ARTWORK & CRAFTS | Now is the time to go through your home and either store or dispose of last year’s artwork collection. I personally save around five to ten favorites, photograph the rest into a Shutterfly book and then they are pitched.
LAST YEAR’S SCHOOL WORK | At our home when the book bags are cleaned out every night, all paperwork goes into each child’s school bin. That way if something was supposed to go back to school, we haven’t thrown it away.
Now is the time to empty out and start fresh any of last year’s homework that may still be lying around.
PREVIOUS YEAR’S TEACHER INFO | If you have a home binder, folder, planner, or anywhere you keep track of information from your child’s teacher, it’s time to clean it out.
Throw away all the items from the school or teacher that no longer pertain to the upcoming year.
Back to School MomLife Organization
ORGANIZE YOUR PLANNER & CALENDAR | Take the time and put all of the school’s calendar information into your planner. If you have a wall calendar make sure it is up to date as well.
UPDATE YOUR PHONE CALENDAR APP | If electronic calendars are more your thing, go through and update it as well.
EMAILS & PHONE NUMBERS | Make sure that you have the correct phone numbers and email addresses for your child’s teacher and school entered into your phone. That way if an emergency ever did happen, you would have them when you need them.
MEAL PLANNING & RECIPES | Whether you meal plan meticulously or not, go ahead and think of a few meals for the first week of school. Everyone is going to be tired with the adjustment back to school and having easy dinner meals will be a lifesaver.
If you do a meal plan, tidy up your recipes & meal planning supplies so that you have an organized space to work with during the busy school nights.
Back to School Organization of the Homework Supplies
Over the years, I’ve seen some incredible homework stations, kids’ desk set-ups, and unique places prepped for homework time.
However, at our house, it’s done at the kitchen table with their supplies in a wooden divider.
There’s nothing wrong with a fun homework area, but before you spend a lot of time prepping one make sure it will be functional and a place where you can easily assist your child.
Also, it’s a great idea to make sure your homework supplies are organized too. There are fun dividers like this:
Bamboo Rotating Supplies Holder
Or more traditional ones like those below. We use a wooden, 3-section divider from Hobby Lobby, so check home stores for unique options too.
DRIED-OUT MARKERS | Grab the hundreds of markers around your home and start checking to see if they are dried out. If they are, out they go!
MASSIVE COLLECTION OF BROKEN CRAYONS | Sometimes having too many options can put a halt to homework productivity. So go through your crayon stash and consolidate it down to a manageable number that still gives them lots of options.
You might want to check with your child’s school to see if they take old markers & crayons. Our school accepted them last year and sent them off for a small reward.
GLUE BOTTLES & GLUE STICKS | You guys know the drill by now – lol. Check them and consolidate them to what you are going to need.
POSTER BOARD & CONSTRUCTION PAPER | Check on your collection of poster board and construction paper. After a busy summer spent crafting, these can have dwindled faster than normal.
ORGANIZE & SHARPEN PENCILS | If I could keep track of all the times my boys have sharpened their pencils to put off homework, it would be an astounding number.
However, go ahead and have pencils ready and handy for homework sessions; even if they’ll want to sharpen them again.
Back-to-School Clothing Organization Ideas
HOLEY SOCKS & UNDERWEAR | Go through your child’s sock drawer and pull out any singles that are missing their partner or pairs that no longer fit. Also, do the same for their underwear. Finish up by organizing the drawer so that everything is easily accessible.
CLOTHING | Take the time to organize your child’s closet so that clothing mishaps are avoided during the busy morning rush. Take out any clothes that no longer fit. Box up and store any clothes that are too big, but you are saving for the future. Keep these out of their reach so that it isn’t a morning argument.
A lot of people use hanging closet dividers and set out a week’s worth of outfits. There are several to choose from with 5 dividers, like this one: 5 Shelf Hanging Organizer
Back to School Winter Gear Organization
JACKETS, WINTER COATS & COLD-WEATHER GEAR | Do a quick check to make sure your child has a jacket or hoodie that will fit when the cooler mornings start to arrive. Again, donate or store anything that no longer fits. Taking the option out of their line of sight means getting out the door faster… trust me!
If you live in the Midwest like we do, winter coats are the last thing on your mind when the kids go back to school in the steamy, hot August weather.
But if you’re going to be doing a back-to-school organizational quest, you might as well work on this one too!
Go through last year’s winter coats and donate or pack up ones that no longer fit. If your child is in need of a winter coat, now you’ll know and be able to watch for sales on them in the coming months.
Do a quick check of hats, gloves, mittens, and for those lucky enough to have snow days, the snow suits too.
Back to School Shoe Organization
SHOES, SHOES, EVERYWHERE | The combination of how fast kids’ feet grow combined with how hard they are on shoes results in so many shoes!
Go through and ditch the pairs that are unwearable, clean up any pairs that need a little love, and attempt to organize them.
If you want a great plan for this, check out our How to Organize Kids’ Shoes & Keep them that Way. It has tons of ideas to organize shoes in closets, laundry rooms, mudrooms, and even by the front door.
Kitchen Organization for Back-to-School
Between mad-dash breakfasts, school snacks, and lunch box preparations, the kitchen is the hub for many when it comes to back-to-school time.
Take the time to organize the following items so that you have a streamlined kitchen during those crazy school mornings.
ORGANIZE LUNCHBOXES | If your child has accumulated a collection of lunch boxes over the years, it’s time to organize them. Donate or get rid of old ones that leak, are no longer in use, or your child has outgrown them.
WATER BOTTLES, THERMOS, & UTENSILS | As with the lunchboxes, if you have several extras of these think of consolidating down to what you need to get through a school week. Make sure to dispose of leaking or unused items to remove clutter.
CLEAN OUT THE PANTRY | Do a quick once-over on your pantry or cabinet supplies. Check for expiration dates or items that your family doesn’t like and throw them away.
This is also a good time to jot down what items you are low on so that you can be at full capacity during the first few weeks of school.
Back to School Snack Organization
Take the time and organize the snack section of your pantry or cabinets. These simple ideas will have you starting school on the right foot.
ORGANIZE BAGGIES & REUSABLE CONTAINERS | One of the ways to save money on snacks is to purchase large quantities, and then baggie them up yourself. We do this, especially for chips & goldfish.
So make sure you have the various sizes of baggies you use. Bonus if you go ahead and fill them up with snacks. Double bonus points if you put them in your new snack organizer.
HAVE A SNACK SYSTEM | Whether it be during or after school snacks, having an easy system that your children can help with is a bonus.
Think about setting up a designated school snack container somewhere handy. This way your children know which snacks are available. Then they can help you by putting them in their backpacks.
I’ve seen tons of neat behind-the-door systems that use a shoe organizer. Replace the shoes with snacks and you have an easy snack organizer! We have this one:
Clear bins would also work well for organizing snacks, like these:
Back-to-School Home Organization Tips
A couple of areas that organizing will help when it comes time for back to school:
THE BOOK BAG STATION | This is wherever your child leaves their book bag at night. Ours is a bench heading out the door. During the summer it becomes home to laundry, puzzles, books, and everything else.
Make sure you prep this area since it will be your “landing spot”. Get it back to being the home for everything that needs to go to school in the morning.
ORGANIZE YOUR MORNING PREP AREA | Think of this area as the place where you keep everything that needs to go out the door with you in the morning. Go through and clean it out of items that may have accumulated over the summer.
CLEAN UP THE HOMEWORK SPOT | Again, tidy up and organize the space that your child uses for their homework. Ours becomes a crafting space during the summer, so the stickers and other distractions need to be hidden away.
Organize your Medical Supplies
Unfortunately, heading back to school can also mean heading back into the germs. That’s why you need to double-check the medical supplies. This way you are ready for any colds or bugs that make their way into your home.
CHECK INVENTORY & EXPIRATION DATES | Pull out your child’s medicines they use when sick and check all of them for expiration. Make a list of anything you are lacking (fever reducers, allergy, upset tummy, etc.) to purchase.
PREPARE FOR THE WORST | That sounds a little dramatic but preparing for your child, or all your children, or heaven help us yourself, to be sick can be a lifesaver.
Make sure you have Kleenex, and medicine, and maybe even hide some chicken noodle soup somewhere in the pantry.
Back to School Organization of the Car
STOCK IT WITH HAND SANITIZER | In the cupholder on the driver’s side door, our car has a container of hand sanitizer. Whenever the boys get picked up after school, they know to hold their hands out & get a squirt.
Now how will this make your life easier? Well, if it keeps sickness from coming into our home, that makes life much easier.
CLEAN IT OUT | Grab yourself a trash bag, and start tossing those empty sunscreen bottles, popsicle sticks (we don’t even eat popsicles in the car!), and whatever else that has accumulated over the summer.
Now you won’t have items falling out of your car in the pick up or drop off line.
EXTRA OUTFIT | If you have a younger child, go ahead and throw an extra outfit in the car. This way if something happens to their clothes on the way to school, you have a handy change of clothes.
Also, this is great in case the school calls and says your child needs a new set of clothes. It helps you avoid a trip back home to gather up some clothes and lets your child avoid wearing unfamiliar clothes from the nurse.
Even More helpful Back to School Posts!
Before you head off to organize your home for back to school, check these out:
THE ULTIMATE BACK TO SCHOOL TO-DO LIST FOR BUSY MOMS – a comprehensive list of Back to School to-do’s for busy moms. It covers everything from paperwork hacks to lice prevention to sick day backup plans.
TIPS FOR STRESS-FREE BACK TO SCHOOL MORNINGS – tons of tips and ideas to make getting out the door in the morning as easy as possible.
BACK TO SCHOOL BOOKS TO CALM YOUR CHILD’S FIRST DAY FEARS – Do you have a preschooler or kindergartner a little nervous about their first day of school? Or an older child who would love a book just for “second graders”? Try these for fun bedtime reading as school starts back up.
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