The switch from lazy summer days with no set schedule to the hussel and bussel of getting out the door and of to school is a challenge for a lot of families. To make getting out the door for school easier we have a little system using closest organizers that takes the guess work out of getting dressed for school. It’s a simple idea but has really saved a lot of headaches for our family.
It’s back to school time and back to reality. No more lounging around in jammies until the kids feel like getting dressed and going outside to play for the day. Oh, how I will miss the snugly slow mornings, but I am excited to see the kids so stoked to go back to school.
Last year was my son’s first time being of to school each and every day of the week. It was only for a half day, but it still required us all to be up and out the door at the same time each day to ensure that he wasn’t late. Because we have been used to staying at home together, and not used to the hurry of rushing out, getting dressed was always an issue that took way longer than it should have.
My son would come out in the same t-shirt every single day with his play jeans that included stains and tears (even if they were dirty from the previous day). That, or he would be so mismatched that I couldn’t ignore it. On top of that, it seemed if we were running on time, when it came time to get our shoes on and go out the door, we could only find one shoe and have to search for another pair. The issue of getting dressed always seemed to make us late no matter what I did. If we got up earlier, we just spent that much more time discussing what he should and shouldn’t wear to school.
So, last year I got my son a hanging organizer that had cubbyholes for each day of the week and hung it in his closet. On laundry day we would go through his clothes together and he would pick out his own outfits and put them into the cubbyholes for the week. Together we would put shoes, socks, undies, sweatshirts, or whatever else he would need into the cubbyholes for that day. That way I could tell him which play clothes weren’t appropriate for school and help him wear semi-matched clothes. I am all for them choosing their own outfits, and want them to feel free to express themselves through their clothing choices, but still want them to be presentable and appropriate at school. This was a great solution for us and saved oodles and oodles of time each morning.
I would put a clothes pin on the cubbyhole that was for that day and he knew when he woke up that he was to put on that particular outfit. Everything in the cubbyhole got put on first thing in the morning and then he would eat, brush his teeth, grab his backpack (which also has a specific spot so it is easy to find) and we could be out the door. I always knew that he was wearing something he liked and that it was school appropriate without the argument in the morning.
This will be the first year that both kids will need to be dressed and ready for school a couple days a week, so I am implementing the same plan for my preschool daughter as well. Even though she doesn’t need to be dressed for school each day, she can still have outfits all set for the week so that we can get my son of to school on time. The little lady is awfully opinionated about what she wears, and often comes up with those “Fancy Nancy” type tutu outfits that included 20 pieces of clothing and a tiara. I am really hoping that this will help her decision making process in the mornings a little bit easier too.
Because they help to choose the outfits as they are put into the organizer they seem to be pleased with the daily selections and get dressed without a fuss at all. I keep sweaters and sweatshirts that match the outfits on the left side of the organizer so the can choose one if it happens to be a cold day. We are even having a practice run this week before the kids are off to school next week. My daughter was really excited this morning to get her outfit out of the cubbyhole and get dressed without any help.
These organizers were well worth the $6.00 that I paid for them when I think of all of the time they will save me throughout the school year. I have high hopes that this will work really well for both kids and allow us to have peaceful and organized mornings as the school year begins.
I have been doing this with my now 6 year old 1 grader for 2 years. It makes the mornings go so much smoother!! No arguing over what to wear. We check the weather for the week on Sunday afternoon and then pick out that weeks clothing. We also double check her school schedule to be sure shorts/pants are picked out for gym days. With 9month old twins plus a 1st grader we need all the organizing/problem solving solutions we can get!
I agree – I almost felt silly posting it because it seems like such a common sense idea…but it helped our mornings go so much smoother once I did it – that I had to share in case other mom’s were struggling and had not thought of it! Oh my – with 9 month old twins I’m not sure I could keep my head on straight! I’m sure you are very efficient and have no choice but to think ahead and be ultra organized!! Thanks for the comment and for stopping by!