A well-organized home can make back to school time (and the whole school year) much easier.

It is essential to designate a staging ground for everything that comes and goes from school. It might be near the door or in the mudroom or even in the kitchen. Here’s what you need:

• A place to leave jackets, coats, boots, etc.
• A place for backpacks and gym bags.
• A place for papers. I recommend 2 hanging folders for each child – one folder with papers to be files and one folder with papers to be signed and returned. The first folder should be emptied weekly, the second daily.
• A trash can and/or recycling bin.

Once it’s set up, here’s how you use it:

Every day, when the kids come home, they put away their coats and empty their backpacks. Everything comes out. Papers go into the folders. Garbage into the trash can. Dirty dishes into the sink or dishwasher. Dirty gym clothes into the hamper. Homework to the study spot. Leave the backpack open to air out.

Before bed, put the completed homework and signed papers into the backpack and get a gym bag or bag for after school activities ready. The next morning, all that’s left is putting lunch in the backpack and heading out the door. Easy peasy.