Well, the time has come for my eldest little darling to start her exciting adventure of becoming a school girl.

I’ve been counting down the weeks and days until she starts, and have been seriously researching the best ways to ensure we are fully organised and ready, on the lead up to school and beyond.

Im a newby to this, so it is a whole new world that I’m entering.

I’ve pulled together what I feel are top tips, to make this journey as smooth as possible for us as a family.

Im sure there are hundreds of tips out there, so Im excited to learn about different ways to keep us organised and would love to hear from you in terms of how you keep yourself organised (and sane!) during the school weeks.

Labels

I have become a big fan of the school labels “Petit Fernand” – not only are they super practical, they are also absolutely gorgeous in terms of design and colour palette.

https://www.petit-fernand.co.uk

My eldest little darling chose exactly what she wanted right down to the font her name is in.

I’ve chosen the iron on versions and I have to admit I absolutely HATE ironing. I know, I know, I should love it, being as Im an organised lady, but I just cannot face standing up ironing every item under the sun! Mr Darling does his own (always has and ALWAYS will!) and, so far, all my little darlings’ clothes are pretty much folded/hung as soon they are dry – so no creases! (I wear non iron clothing too!!)

Due to my phobia of ironing I’ve found an ingenious way to iron on the school labels – my beloved GHD straighteners! They work a treat and it saves me being on my feet for hours. (I can even do it whilst sat down in the evening catching up on the latest GOT!)

Breakfast

Breakfast in our house consist of me encouraging a healthy option every morning – everything is in containers ready for my little ones to help me out.

Unfortunately Weetabix and porridge every morning is just not going to cut it for my little lady. She adores Grandmas home made jam on toast, but this is an absolute no-no for me before she goes to school! (the sugar content makes me want to cry!)

As some of you may know, we have a chalk board in our kitchen where I put up all our main meals for the week. This keeps me fully organised in terms of what I’m cooking each evening for everyone.

Due to my eldest darling having school meals every week day, her slot on the board is now going to be taken up with breakfast options. Every Sunday we will sit down together, and she can decide her breakfast for each morning. I am hoping that this will cut out the dramas of not being allowed toast EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING!! She will have it there, in black and white, and will know exactly what is coming up each morning. (Plus this gives me the opportunity to organise any ingredients the night before, saving us precious minutes in the morning!)

Picture Schedules

I have seen a lot of these recently through my research on “how to get school organised”.

They are flash card style pictures, that children follow each morning, to get themselves ready. For example – wash face, brush teeth, make bed etc etc.

I think they are a truly lovely idea and a great way for children to start to get themselves organised. You can easily purchase these online, but I think it will be great fun to make these. If it’s home made, it can then be tailored to each child.

My favourite so far is the below image. Adorable and very easy to make!

Uniform

This may be an obvious for some, but every evening we will be laying out the clothes for the next day.

Its a simple process and outfits can either be block hung together in the wardrobe, laid out on the floor/chair, folded in the drawer together – anything as long as you and your children know where it is and it is ALL TOGETHER!

Anything that saves time and effort – Im on board!

 

Alarm Clock

If you are always rushing around in the morning, losing track of time or generally always late – then this one is for you!

Set an alarm clock at regular intervals during your morning routines. If you hear it go off you know you need to be putting shoes on/brushing teeth/finding car keys etc.

This can be totally tailored for you and your routine – but I swear it will work wonders for ensuring you’re ready and out the door on time!

After School Station 

I’ve been to many a clients’ house and seen piles of shoes, book bags, homework just amassing in a cupboard/on a kitchen surface etc.

Being who I am, and being a tidy freak, I will absolutely be implementing what I have seen as an “After school station”.

This is basically a place in the house where school bags are hung up, shoes are put in a basket, homework books sorted etc. Once my youngest little darling starts school, she will have a space right next to her sisters too.

These can be personalised and need to be easily accessible. I’ll be utilising our spare wall in our utility room, but if you are short of space, this can easily be implemented on the back of a door.

The “station” needs to be somewhere your little ones can access too, as it is a place for them to put everything away, organised and ready for the next day.

I have seen so many different versions and obviously they need to be tailored to your home/space, but the picture below is similar to what we will be implementing, but with basket attached for school shoes. (I will post pictures once it is up and running!)

After School Activities

Screen time is such a big topic at the moment and I am VERY aware that over the school holidays my strict allowance has wavered!

I know that my little darling is going to be exhausted after school, especially for the first few weeks, but I am determined not to let her flop down in front of the TV as soon as she gets in.

TV time in our household is at 4.30pm, for 30 minutes (whilst I prepare tea and regain my sanity!) – anything before that is a no no.

What I am planning to do is setting up an activity of some sort, on the table, ready for when she is home.

This can be anything that is of interest to your child, it could be drawing paper and pens, bunchems, happy land figures, feathers and glue, a new library book, colouring book – anything that sparks their imagination. I am truly hoping that this will be enough interest for my little darling to not nag about watching TV.

 

I am pretty sure I will be adding to my list over the next school term, and I absolutely know that some of these tips aren’t rocket science! It just about preparation and maintaining an organised home.

As its our first school adventure, I want to make sure I am focused on my eldest darling and how she is getting on, rather than rushing around every morning not knowing where things are and generally in a slightly stressed state before the school run (and beyond!)

Please do share some of your top tips with me. As I said, Im a total newby to thislifestyle of having a school child, so anything to make the process easier is great news for me!

I hope you enjoyed reading and as always, if you ever need any assistance in organising or decluttering your life – I’m here to help!

Rachel x