Back to school can be a hectic and challenging time for everyone, but especially for children.  The sudden shift from summer holidays to early school mornings can lead to stress and anxiety. For parents and kids alike!

A great help to alleviate some of stress would be to make sure that everyone has a nice and tidy space to come home to. The space to do homework but to also relax as a family. 

Here are some back to school storage ideas for the entire family. 

Create a homework station 

The amount of homework your child receives will depend on age but no matter what school year they are in, homework is a big part of school.

Having a designated homework station will allow your child to develop a good routine. If your child is older it would be great to have the area be in their room as it allows them some independence and shows you trust them to get on with their homework by themselves.

If your child is younger, creating a space within the kitchen/dining area would be great as it would allow you to get on with running the household whilst being there to help your child with homework. 

Use a whiteboard calendar to organise back to school storage

A calendar is an essential part of organising your back to school storage.

This is because it will allow you to keep track of all the school trips, after-school clubs and music lessons coming up and you will know exactly what storage space and equipment you need.

Bulletin board 

In addition to this, a bulletin board is a great thing to have next to the whiteboard calendar. This can be the place where your children place any letters you need to see, permission slips which need signing etc.

If you have it next to the calendar, you will see the bulletins/letters everyday. 

Create a functional entry space

Creating a functional entry space will make school mornings much easier. And is extremely simple to do.

You need to make a designated space for each of your children’s school bags, school coats, and school shoes. You do this through having a cubby hole for each child, similar to the ones you find in schools. Or you could go simpler with just a few well placed hooks. 

It is vital to have this near your front door and to have it in place from their first day of school. This will allow them a solid routine from the off. 

Designated kitchen space for after school snacks

This is a great thing to have as it means that your children know exactly where their after school snacks are so as to not cause chaos in the kitchen every time they come home.

It would also be a good idea to have their breakfast items there, along with some bowls and plates. 

This will help limit the chaos but also help them to gain some independence.

Declutter and make room for back to school storage!

Finally, going into a new school year is the perfect time to clear out some of those old toys and clothes. This will mean your kids have more space to store their books, equipment or clothing for any new subjects, sports or hobbies they take up.

But before you donate that mountain of toys to the charity shop, talk to your child(ren) first. The process of letting go of certain items can be emotionally fraught, even if they don’t play with them anymore.

To make this process easier, some temporary storage outside of the house could be a solution. This will give your children the chance to be away from the items and adjust, without letting go forever. If after a month or so they find they miss the item, you can bring it back into the home.

Going back to school can be a much more chilled and happy experience if you just have the right approach to setting up storage.