When I was on the Back To School segment, on the local news here in Arizona – I had the great honor of meeting Milissa. Milissa has a list to help her with keeping organized and her kids organized when it comes to getting back into the swing of things at Back To School time. Milissa was lovely enough to forward on a sample copy of sorts of this list. Here it is for you to check out and I hope this may help any of you Mom’s out there. Now times are listed for the time school starts in here district. Adjust to your time if needed.

Night Before

• Check backpacks
• Review & sign papers
• Write out any checks for monies due (lunches, books, field trips)
• Pack any dry items in lunch boxes – involve each child for choices
• Discuss breakfast, what we’ll be having
• Lay out clothing for next morning (serves as laundry alert!)

School Day Morning

(1st bus at 7:15 a.m. ; 2nd bus at 8:30 a.m.)
• Start waking kids 1 hr before bus (6:15 am)
• Finish putting together lunches (6:15 to 6:30 am)
• Wake kids again if still not up (6:30 am)
• Get kids up, dressed, hair combed/brushed (6:30 to 6:45 am) Return downstairs
to get breakfast prepped (NOTE: Breakfast should be fast & healthy)
• Breakfast (6:45 to 7:00 am)
• Brush teeth (7:00 to 7:05 pm)
• Last minute check, finish putting on shoes, pack up (7:05 to 7:10 am)
• Walk to bus stop
(School starts at 7:40 am; kids must be there by 7:25 am allowing for playground time.
Extra 10 min. if taking kids to school accounts for accidents, slow motion mornings, etc.)
• Return and repeat for oldest on later schedule

After School (3:00 pm)

• Shoes and backpacks taken off where they will be retrieved for evening “check”
• Go through backpacks, empty lunch bags, wipe/clean out, ready for next day
• Allow solid playtime/active time until dinner (5:30 pm)
• Clean up after dinner, start on homework (*lengthy homework is started while
dinner is being made and continued after meal)
• Bath/shower. Make the most of a tight schedule by reading to child during bath
(*works best with preschool and kindergarten)
• Once kids are in bed, follow “Night Before” schedule

The best laid plan…

• Is not universal
• May need to be adjusted
• Habit for everybody involved! Stick to the plan you make and don’t deviate by
checking emails, texts, phone messages because they are time “vampires.”
• Involve kids in the construction of the schedule, so they know what the flow is,
what to expect.
• If they are taking lunch, be sure to involve your child in selecting the food for
lunch. This is best discussed after dinner so as to avoid negotiating morning of.
• If they eat lunch at school, be sure to be prepared w/a snack

I hope this can help you. I realize it may sound like a lot, but in reality, when I look at it all – I do not have a layout exactly like this, yet I do follow a similar schedule. I keep the kids’ backpacks and school shoes by the front door, so now fights in the morning about “Where” is it!? I keep breakfast short, sweet and simple. Much of these things are followed and make for getting the kids to school an easier task on all of us and not a war.

As I stated in the interview and though it is cliche, Patience. Just have patience.

Related posts:

1. This Is The List
2. Starting School Soon
3. Half Days Of School
4. The Day Brodie “Grew Up”…
5. Ready? Set? Sit!