There are plenty of lists of must-have back-to-school items for students, but what about for parents? We’ve got you covered! Here is a list of things that can make this year’s back-to-school season easier for YOU!

• School “stuff” organizer. If you don’t plan from the beginning where the kids will dump all their books, backpacks, coats, shoes, etc. after school each day, you’ll end up with a huge pile in front of your door all the time. So consider purchasing some sort of storage unit you can put in an entryway or hallway for this purpose. You’ll be glad you did. Be sure it has a place for hooks so the coats and backpacks can hang on!
• Family calendar. If you don’t already have a central family calendar, get one. Once the school year begins, it’s a real chore to keep up with everyone’s schedule. Keeping all the important dates/times/information in one place is essential to a less-stressful year!
• Rolls of quarters and dimes. You know you’re going to be running around on a school morning dumping out old purses looking for change for milk money or school store purchases. Go ahead and make life easier on yourself by getting plenty of change now. Put it in a cup up in a cabinet where everyone won’t be tempted to use it for everything else. You’ll know exactly where to go when your daughter reminds you it’s ice cream day and she needs 50-cents.
• Paper sorter center. You’re going to be bombarded with papers from school. Some of them need to be signed, too. And to keep from losing important papers, it’s great to have a sorter center where you can keep them all organized and ready to go when they’re due back at school.
• Lunch/snack prep area. Keep the items that you know you’re going to use nearly daily in the same handy spot. Designate a particular cabinet or corner of the counter for assembling lunches and keep individual bags of treats in a bin for easy grab-and-go convenience.

We wish you a happy back-to-school season! If you’ve got other ideas for ways to make this an easier transition for families, share them with our readers!

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