How To Be Organized for School

School being in full gear, preparing for each school day, doing homework, participating in after-school activities, and maintaining order in the home could be hectic for families.

The effect of morning madness as everyone scrambles to get ready before the bus arrives always makes for a horrible start to the day. And for children, it doesn’t really end well.

So, making launching pads for kids near the door where they can keep things they’ll take with them when they leave the house—could be one solution to this problem.

What is a launchpad for your kids?

It is a particular area in a home where everything is necessary before going to school or outside. It helps keep things organized so that you and your children can avoid searching for small items at the last moment. 

Simply put, a launchpad is an area at home where family members get instant access to their things before leaving. And, of course, a calendar to remind them of their activities at school. 

How To Be Organized for School Using a School Day Launchpad

• Putting together the necessary supplies before leaving for school each morning is one of the most challenging elements of going on time. So, creating a “launching pad” for all these items can prepare your kids for school without worry, helping them get rid of this stressful situation in the morning. 
• Creating a launching pad can get your kid’s mornings under control and yours as a parent less stressful. Imagine putting your child in an undesirable situation in class because you forgot to sign their homework or permission slips.
• Free yourself from this, “Mommy! I can’t find my. . . !” that can always initiate a little chaos and, sometimes, unintentional yelling—which makes the situation worse. 
• Training them to organize their things before going to and from school as early as preschoolers will make them responsible adults. 

In the same way that a spaceship needs a specific framework to support liftoff, family members, too, require a Launch Pad to keep them stable as they fly out the door. 

Here are the “kids’ launching pad items” to include: (also for safekeeping and reminders)

• School timetable, Magnetic boards
• School bag
• Tiffin box (lunch box, some snacks)
• Water Bottle
• Books (library books)
• Sports equipment, gym clothes (needed for school or after-school activities)
• Coats, hats, umbrellas, and other weather gear
• Important keys (if it is a tween or older child)
• Homework and or science fair projects
• Authorization forms/Permission slips and vaccination records

How to create/build a launchpad?

Creating a launchpad area at home doesn’t require being expensive or fancy. As parents, the goal of building this at home is to help our children organize and train them to be responsible for their things. These are some points to consider:

➡ It is best to designate that area where the entry and exit points of the family are. So grabbing their things doesn’t need much help from an adult, and when they come home, they are instructed to put everything down or hang them in one tidy place.

Instilling in children the notion that everything has a place where it belongs is one technique to keep them organized.

Similarly, thinking that the morning rush usually takes place in the kitchen, it is also a good launchpad area. 

➡ Each child must have a bulletin board to post important documents and artwork. For a preschooler, it is artsy to have hanging chains with clips for their artwork and homework. And for us, as parents, to easily check for any school notices and permission slips, etc. 

➡ Designate an area for their library books to avoid mixing them up. 

➡ Some of the things they need to take with them require planning. So, preparing as much as possible is a great nightly routine. It is also best to prepare with your kids.

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While making sure the launchpad area adheres to its purpose, designing it with your child’s personality in mind would make it more appealing for them. 

• You may add a colored dishpan with names for each
• a magnetic day of the week to help them organize their schedules
• giant colored letters, or animals
• Printed school activities pin on a corkboard
• a library book holder, 
• a colored school bag nook
• sturdy hooks with their initials, and a lot of other DIY ideas. 

With your child, you can also put tests, school events, sports practice, games, and family gatherings into your monthly calendars and agree to remind each other now and then. 

Involve your children in building their school day launchpad, and you might be surprised how their ideas might be!

Further, teaching children to prepare for their things and having an organized list of tasks trains them to arrange and will later prioritize the events in their lives. 

Their organizational skills improve their critical thinking skills and will eventually set them up for success.

Check Out Our Other Blogs:

• Best Tips for How to Organize Your Backpack
• Tips On How To Organize Your School Binder
• Top 10 Apps To Help You Focus/Stay Organized

Need help with staying organized for school? Chat with Themba Tutors Today!
We provide 1:1 Tutoring/Coaching, All Ages, All Learners
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Call: (917) 382-8641, Text: (833) 565-2370
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References: 

• https://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/homework-area.html
• https://childhood101.com/school-launch-pad/
• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/156359418289329183/
• https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/kids-homework-station/
• https://totsfamily.com/back-to-school-launchpad-goal-setting/
• https://theorganisedhousewife.com.au/back-to-school/our-revamped-and-very-organised-school-bag-nook/
• https://www.theidearoom.net/organizational-boards