What is the key to getting organised for school and having a smooth school morning routine? The answer is to have an organised after school and evening routine where you prepare everything you will need for the next day!
Today I am sharing my best tips and hacks for successful school night time routines. Check out the video below or keep reading to find out how to get super organised each evening before school.
Table Of Contents
Download The Checklist
I have put together a printable checklist to make sure that everything is done each night and nothing is missed. Print out your checklist and pop it into an A4 frame. You can then use a whiteboard pen to tick off each evening’s tasks and clean it off with a magic eraser and damp cloth each weekend, ready to use again the next week.
The checklist is included in my Ultimate Mum Bundle, which is packed full of amazing printables to help you organise your life as a busy Mum. Join my parenting email club below and get your Ulitmate Mum Bundle as a welcome gift.
Put Away Shoes & Coats
The first thing that you should do when you get in is to put away shoes and hang up coats. Think about making it easy for your kids to do this themselves with storage solutions that are easy to reach and use.
Empty Bags
Make sure that everything is emptied out of school bags daily. Check for homework, school notes and any lurking food that is waiting to go off. Get all drinks bottles ad lunch boxes washed out ready for the next day.
School Notes Filed & Dates Added To Calendar
I use an app called Evernote to photograph and store all of the notes that come home in my children’s bags. It’s an easy way to store them for future reference, plus it means less clutter around the house as I can recycle the originals.
Once you have read the notes, be sure to add any important dates, such as upcoming trips, World Book or Sports Days, to your calendar. I use a digital calendar that is shared with every family member. Check out the video below that explains how this it set up.
Homework
Aim to tackle any homework the night it is given, rather than procrastinating and ending up in a mad panic the night before it is due in.
Teaching your kids this habit of getting homework done straight away will instil good habits for when they are older and involved in more self study.
Getting homework done as soon as possible gives you the added benefit for a little “breathing space”. If the homework takes longer than anticipated, or your child is struggling with it, you will have those extra few days to wok on it with your child.
Bag Packed
Once homework is complete, make sure that your child’s bag is packed and ready to go in the morning. We have a school bag station by the front door, as this avoids the chaos of chasing up and down the stairs looking for forgotten bags in the morning.
Free Time
Once all of the homework is done, this is a good opportunity for your children to have some free time to play and unwind.
Lunch Organised For The Morning
As discussed in my lunch box packing tips and hacks article, make sure that you organise your child’s lunches for the next day. If your child has packed lunches, make everything that needs to be prepared and store refrigerated items in the fridge.
Any items that can be stored at room temperature can be placed directly into the lunch box ready for the morning.
Family Meal
As many evenings as possible, we like to eat together as a family. Not only does it make it easier than cooking separate meals for the kids early on then the adults later, but it’s a great opportunity for us to catch up too. On some really busy days, this is the only time we are all together and can talk about our days.
If you are struggling to get any information out of your children about how their day has been check out the posts below which can help.
Breakfast Selected
If you allow your kids a choice when it comes to what they want for breakfast, make sure that they choose the night before. Do any prep work for breakfast the night before too.
We keep school morning breakfast pretty simple in our house, but things like chopping up strawberries can still be done in the evenings in order to save precious time in the mornings.
Clothes For The Morning
Whenever possible, organise clothing and uniform for your kids on the weekends for the whole week. My children have a hanging unit like the one below with a section for each day. Absolutely everything they need to wear each day is folded and placed into each day’s section, including socks and underwear.
Getting organised on the weekend saves so much time in the mornings. If you don’t have enough uniform to be able to prepare on the weekend without doing laundry, make sure that you prep your kids’ clothes every night before bed.
Don’t forget to get your clothes for the morning out and ready in the evenings too, it’ll save you loads of time the next day.
If you saw my wardrobe organisation video, you will know that I have a hook inside my wardrobe where I place my clothes for the next day.
Wind Down Time
I’d recommend some “winding down” time in the evenings before getting your kids ready for bed, in order to maximise their chances of getting the best nights sleep. Check out my blog post below about sleep for some tips about winding down for bed and why it is so important.
Bath Time
Bath and shower time with kids can be a lengthly process, so make sure that the while family gets washed up in the evenings.
Reading & Stories
Story and tuck in time is a great way to prepare your kids for sleep, plus to encourage their literacy too.
Bed Time
Make bed times a non negotiable on school nights, for both you and your kids. Decide what time bed time is and stick to the same time each night, which will in turn help you get up at the same time each morning without feeling groggy.
Alarms For The Morning
Before bed, check your alarms are set. In order to keep me on track, I have multiple alarms going off through the course of the morning to notify me of the time and where we should be in our morning routine.
Read It Next
Get The Ultimate Mum Bundle Now
Why Not Pin This For Later?
