(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

Check out these 25 back to school tips to survive and thrive, shared from a teacher AND mom. Make it a happier year for the whole family!  And if you don’t have kids at home?  No worries!  Share this with a friend and then read through for some ways to work on routines and schedules in your home, no matter the season!

Summer flew by but I can honestly say that it was one of the best summers ever for our little family.  And while I’m never ready for summer to come to an end, I know there are so many wonderful things about the school year.  So, it’s time to pull out my favorite back to school tips for our family and I thought I’d go ahead and share them with you too!

Since I cannot slow down time or add any days to summer break, I try to just make the most of it!  This year, I am focusing on thriving as a family, not just surviving.

As a teacher, starting my 21st year of teaching, and a mom for 16 years, here are a few back to school tips for a successful back to school season.  Mostly, these back to school tips are reminders for myself and hopefully they can help you out too!

How to Survive and Thrive: 25 Back to School Tips for the Whole Family

Is joy even possible for going back to school?  If you’re a parent, you may be leaping for joy that the kids are headed back to school and you can finally settle your family back into a routine.  And maybe you can actually get something accomplished while the kids are at school, making it a successful school year for the entire family!

I get it!

I’ve never been the mom that loves to see my kids off to school.  I really enjoy having all of us home together.  At the same time, these back to school tips for the big day of school do help us not only celebrate our kids, but also feel prepared, organized, set goals, and get ready for the start of a new school year!

Back to School Tips to Ace the New School Year: 

How Can We Ace Going Back to School?

1. Create a home environment that celebrates the beginning of the school year rather than encouraging kids to dread the start of a new school year. They pick up on our attitudes very quickly!
2. Make home a comfortable, cozy haven for everyone to land at the end of a busy school day. You can find 5 of my favorite tips for creating an intentional home over on THIS POST.

Back to School Tips to Get Organized

3. Before the start of the school year, spend time organizing your home. Prioritize high-functioning spaces like closets, kitchens, and bathrooms.  Next, move to the office, playroom, and bedrooms!  This is also an ideal time to focus on a command center where you can keep important information organized for the entire family.

THIS skylight calendar is on my wishlist for our family, especially now that we have some older kids and high schoolers with their own devices so we can synch up schedules.  However, good old pencil and paper calendars work great too!

You can find some organizing tips HERE: How to Organize and Store Toys, Arts, and Crafts.  Also,  you can browse my organizational favorites that really work in our home HERE on my storefront.

4.  Create a drop zone area if you don’t already have one.  We did this last summer and it really helps to have a place for allllll the things to land at the end of the school day.  You can see how we created an easy drop zone with an existing closet space over on THIS POST.

5.  Create a homework station for students.  This could be anything from purchasing a student desk and setting it up in a quiet area to filling a caddy with essential school supplies so it is ready for kids to carry to the kitchen island or dining room table to do their homework and school projects.

Back to School Tips to Celebrate

6. Take time to do something special with each child to celebrate the end of summer. This one-on-one time is invaluable.  It can be as simple as a morning donut date or grabbing the all-important school supply list for a fun shopping trip.  Picking out a new backpack is always a fun activity!  I never cease to be amazed at how much important information my kids share with me and how much I learn about them during one-on-one fun activities!

Back to School Tips for Functional Time and Space

7. Toss old school supplies that are no longer usable or need replaced. You just don’t need 201 pencils and 53 broken erasers!!!

8. Schedule a family “team meeting” to work on organizing activities, routines, and schedules. Everyone is more likely to stay on board with the plan if they also helped created it!  Even though the first weeks of school may show areas that need tweaking, the entire family is more likely to feel successful with a solid plan to start with.  Flexibility, of course, is key.  I try to remember that our family owns the schedule rather than the schedule owning our family.

9. Be intentional about scheduling after school activities; kids really need down time and white space on their calendars too. Take care to not fall into the well-meaning trap of overscheduling kids!  I find that I have to say the hard “no” sometimes, both to fun activities for the kids and for us, as the parents.  It can be hard to say no to family and friends, but protecting your immediate family is the priority!

10. Refresh chore routines or create chore routines if you don’t already have them. I could write an entire blog post about chores, but suffice it to say, building a strong work ethic is extremely important.  Find age and developmentally appropriate chores for everyone in the house and help them put together a sustainable schedule so that they can be consistent with their chores.

Back to School Tips: How Do You Make Back to School Fun for Kids?

11. Our kids are really excited about a new app we’ve been experimenting with this summer! It’s called “Busy Kids” and I can already see that it’s going to be a big help for chore consistency.  At the same time, our children are going to all benefit from working on their finance skills too!  This app is really great for younger kids.  For middle schoolers and high schoolers, opening a bank account and using the Venmo app can be a great way to work on finance skills and budgeting too.

How Can I Survive the First Day of School: Back to School Tips

12. Create bedtime routines and about a week before school begins, start adjusting to a school year bedtime. Children ages 6-13 need 9-12 hours of sleep at night, according to studies.  Set kids of all ages up for academic success, as well as social-emotional learning success, by making sure they consistently get the sleep they need!

13. Stock up on extra school supplies while you’re already in the mode of purchasing supplies. It’s a great time to catch those back to school sales.  I keep a small bin with extra pencils, erasers, glue sticks, etc.  It saves time and stress throughout the year when those school projects start coming home!  You can shop some of our back to school favorites HERE on my storefront.

14. Since I know my availability to run out to the store for home essentials gets cut way back when school begins, I also try to help myself out by making sure I’m well-stocked with household essentials and personal items for everyone in our home. I treat it kind of like the stock-up and refresh time many of us do in January for the new year!

Back to School Tips to Make Home Life Easier

How Do I Make It Easier to Go Back to School for the Whole Family?

Back to School Tips for the Budget 

How Do I Budget for the Back to School Season?

16. This may not apply to everyone, but for us, it is helpful to take a little time and reassess our budget. A new school year brings new fees, different activities, and unique needs for each grade level.  It really takes the strain out and helps keep positive relationships for the whole family when we plan ahead and realign our budget to fit those needs for the upcoming year.

17. As you look at the budget, consider any outside help you may be able to add.  Last year, we added a little extra house cleaning and some home maintenance.  Some of those things got stressful in the past so we are making it a priority to get help in those areas.

As our children get older, I’m finding that there are some things that get easier.  Time is NOT one of those things and I need more of it to be available for their needs.

Tips for Back to School: Don’t Forget the Snacks!

It’s one of my kids’ favorite parts!

18. Have the kids go to the grocery store with you and stock up on items for lunches and snacks. It can save some money to purchase those items in bulk, so it’s definitely best to make sure you’re getting what they love and will actually eat!

19. Next, consider creating a specific shopping list for school food-related items.  We use the Walmart + app and it is a huge time saver.  At the beginning of each month, we can just click “reorder” on that shopping list and all of the school snacks for the month arrive on the porch.  Honestly, it is a beautiful thing and saves time AND money!

Back to School Tips to Make School More Fun

How Do You Celebrate Back to School?

20. One of my best tips for back to school is to prioritize family time for each day. It may need to be a different time on some days because of activities, but make sure there is at least a little time each day that your family all connects.  It is a great opportunity to share the highs and lows of the day and stay connected.  As a mom, this is increasingly important to me as our children get older.  It’s not always easy, but I feel like it is essential.

21.  Try to schedule a social event with your kids and their friends either right before the upcoming school year starts or shortly after the start of the school year.  It is a perfect way to connect with new students and families that may be joining your child’s class.  It is also a fun way to capture some school spirit, break the ice, and reconnect friends after the summer months.  Last year, we had a pool “school party” at our house with all of the girls from my girls’ classes right after the start of school.  It was so much fun and helped everyone make new friends too.

22. Schedule a little weekend trip for a few weeks into the school year for everyone to look forward to. It can help everyone to realize there is still a lot of fun to be had and the end of the summer doesn’t mean the end of family fun!

What’s a Good Back to School Gift?

23. Connect with your child’s teacher before the school year begins. I know I’m saying this as a teacher, but trust me, it means a lot for a parent to reach out before school begins to see what you need and how they can help.  Consider putting together a simple little gift to give them after the first week of school…gift cards are always appreciated!  (If there are any of my students’ parents who read this, I’m NOT talking to you!!!!  Haha!)  A simple card or encouraging note is a blessing too!

If your child has a new teacher, consider helping them create an Amazon wishlist and sharing with other parents.  There are so many awesome school resources out there that benefit the students but it does take time to build up a great collection for the classroom.  It is an especially great idea to help provide a few extra supplies before the open house or back to school night can help your child’s teacher to be set up before the all-important first day of school!

As a teacher, I deeply appreciate parents taking the initiative to connect before the school year begins.  I love getting to know my students and their families.  So don’t be intimidated to reach out.

Let them know you’re supporting them, praying for them, and excited for your child to be in their class!  It really can help everyone get started on the right foot!

Back to School Tips to Get Yourself Organized Too!

24. If you don’t have a good planner system in place, this is the time to get one together! I use THIS PLANNER and find it extremely flexible while also meeting the variety of organizational needs I have. Take time to pencil the school calendar into your own calendar so you don’t miss any of those important school dates!

As I mom, I am so aware that the success of our family’s schedule largely depends on my own level of organization.  I choose to view it as a way that I can serve my family, rather than being extra work or a burden.  (That’s not to say that it isn’t overwhelming, at least, sometimes!)

If organization isn’t your strength, look for some tools that can really work for your family.  For me, it is old-school paper and pencil.  A family command center, like THIS, could be really helpful too!

THIS skylight calendar is on my wishlist for our family, especially now that we have some older kids and high schoolers with their own devices so we can synch up schedules.  It is a great digital tool that can be accessed from anywhere.

I find it very helpful for our family to practice our schedule and routines a week or two before school begins.  This helps us to not be trying to tackle all new things on the first day of school!

Back to School Tips to Make the First Day Special for You Too!

How Do You Make Back to School Special?

25. Treat yourself. You’ve worked hard to set everyone else up for success!  Whether it’s a

• Favorite candle,
• A coffee run,
• A new pair of shoes (I’m loving these right now!), or
• A new book…

YOU deserve a little pat on the back!  You’ve got this!!!

Now…the countdown is on for me to finish implementing these things myself.  Having a list is a great way for me to celebrate what we’ve done and reminders of a few things I still want to do to help my family start the school year with as much success and joy as possible!

Now…the countdown is on for me to finish implementing these back to school tips myself.  Having a list of back to school tips is a great way for me to celebrate what we’ve done and reminders of a few things I still want to do to help my family start the school year with as much success and joy as possible!

Do Tips for Back to School Actually Work?

Ultimately, I think it’s important to remember that the most important tip for going back to school isn’t a perfect science for anyone in the family.  You won’t ace back to school on the first week and the first day might feel like nothing worked right at all!

No other back to school tips are more important than this: Give your children, your spouse, and yourself LOTS OF GRACE!  Even if your kids are older and going back to high school or college, there are new challenges, fresh nerves, different schedules, and a lot of new stuff to get used to.

At the same time, planning ahead and being as prepared as possible with back to school tips can make going back to school a little more smooth and a whole lot easier for the whole family!

What back to school tips would you add to this list?!  I’d love to hear in the comments!

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)