Sending the kids back to school doesn’t have to be a stress-fest this year. Avoid the chaos of jumbled books, missing assignments, and forgotten paperwork with these easy ideas that will keep you smiling through the school year.

1.) Create a Backpack/Key Hangout: Put cute hooks on the wall near your door or in the mudroom where each child can hang their backpack as soon as they get home every day, and you can hang your keys. No more frantic early morning searches! Make it fun with name or number customization so that each family member knows which hook is “theirs”.

2.) Papers, Please: Create a filing system for your most important school papers, from registration forms to sports calendars to test scores. No-hassle access to these crucial documents will save your sanity later on.

3.) Stock Up: Spare yourself those stressful last-minute supply scrambles by stocking up on project and school supplies long before anything is due. Poster board, glue, glitter, paint pens, felt, markers, and other common materials are always good to have on hand. Pencils, pens, crayons, notebooks, and erasers are cheap to buy in bulk but worth their weight in gold when your child suddenly runs out.

4.) Address the Dressing: Organize everyone’s daily outfit a week in advance. Not only will this save time in the morning, but you’ll be able to wash or buy missing items long before they’re needed. Finally, a way to avoid clothing battles with the kiddos!

5.) Pencil It In: Keep a large family calendar on the wall to easily track after-school activities, sports obligations, music recitals, school plays, and teacher conferences, and other super-important but easy-to-forget events that everyone needs to know about. Dry-erase boards or chalk boards are a convenient option.

Looking to connect with other families in Big Canoe with school-age children like yours? Check out Canoe Cubs; a resource for families to connect and learn about kid’s activities inside and outside of Big Canoe.