3 things I do to avoid back to school stress

Last year was a big one in our family as Grace started kindergarten. This year, with both already in school and having established somewhat of a routine, I want to ensure that we’re able to stick to that and keep up a few of the processes we implemented. This of course means having to double down on the organisation to help minimise morning dramas.

While we still have a few more weeks of school holidays to go, my mind has started drifting towards what will need to be done to get the girls ready for the first day of school. Having already gone through the process with the girls, I have discovered what works for us and what doesn’t, so I’ll implement those systems this year, and tweak as we go along if we find that things aren’t working. I love hearing suggestions from other parents on how they’re preparing their kids for back to school, so I’ve noted a few of the key things we’re doing in our household to facilitate a more stress-free start to the year. I’d love to hear your tips, so please share them in the comments!

Label everything ahead of time

Labelling every single thing your child owns always takes a lot longer than you think it will, so start early. Don’t leave it to the night before as you don’t want the night before school to be spent stressing about how you’re going to label everything! I always do the uniform labelling ahead of time as those iron on labels take a lot longer than you think they will! There are also name stamps available which are also a great alternative. I’m also planning to gather all the girls’ things and label while also ticking off their school checklist to make sure I’ve got everything they need.

Don’t over complicate the lunch box

There are a lot of lunch box styles out there, but my girls have always loved a bento style lunch box. Great as they are, I would highly recommend choosing one with not too many compartments as you will end up cursing it every morning when you’re trying to fill every single slot! Also do a check on how heavy a lunchbox is as some lunchboxes are really heavy. Given younger kids will take 2-3 lunchboxes to school, you don’t want their bag to weigh a ton.

Have a visual schedule

I got sick of nagging the girls to get ready in the morning so I put out a list of everything they need to do so they can see what needs to be done before they leave the house, plus it gives them some responsibility on getting themselves ready. I have a list for Sophia that uses words, while Grace has pictures and it outlines everything they need to do like brush their teeth, brush their hair, make their bed, get dressed, have breakfast, put on sunscreen etc. You could make your own, or there are ready made sets available too.