MONTHS of homeschooling and summer holidays, for many kids, has meant sleep ins, flexible schedules and getting away with wearing dirty clothes on the regular.
But as parents gear up for the new school term they’re desperately trying to restore order – which for many means making mornings as stress-free as possible.
In order to make busy mornings a breeze, savvy parents have created some pretty impressive back-to-school stations, which will not only help the kids get ready for school but busy mums and dads too.
And the best part is that they don’t cost a lot to do with many opting for cheap labelling systems and budget boxes and hooks.
From labelled tubs to perfectly hung school bags, here are some of the most organised set-ups helping busy mums.
With seven little ones to organise, a lot can go wrong – and one mum revealed it’s a “school bag station” in the hallway that helps create a seamless morning routine for her family.
Jenna Pierce, 26, shared a snap of the neatly-arranged set-up which shows each of her kids’ school bags hung from hooks – with school shoes and storage below.
But so they know which is theirs, she’s added the first initial of each their names, and a picture of them above their hook – and they each have different coloured shoe laces too.
Even if you don’t have quite so many little ones, a clever storage solution can make a huge difference – with many parents opting for a set of plastic drawers instead.
One mum revealed she uses a set for each of her two kids, with each made up of five drawers – one for each day of the school week.
She has labelled them with giant letters she picked up from Hobbycraft and plans the entire week in advance.
She revealed that she puts everything in the drawer they need for that day – including PE kits, homework and anything for after school activities.
What’s more, she also pops their school shoes on top along with some polish so they can keep them looking clean.
And she finished off her school station by adding a board with pegs, so she can make a note of anything she needs to remember for the week – and it all cost her roughly £40 to do.
Hayley, a busy mum-of-four, has also used her hallway to set up a station, using a chalkboard calendar to keep on top of her kids’ schedule.
She says it helps reduce the panic that comes with the school run, and with three school-age kids and a baby it’s very much needed.
Along with the massive chalkboard on the wall, each of the school kids have a box with their name on it which holds their bags and coats so they can easily grab and go when it’s time to leave.
She shared her setup on Facebook, and wrote: “I have 3 children at school and a baby. This massively helps with the morning rush and organising after school clubs also my anxiety.”
You don’t have to go all out and create a whole station though, because an Aussie mum-of-four relies on £3 storage boxes she picked up from her local bargain shop – which helps get her children ready in minutes.
Each night, the mum – who runs the blog Motherhood, Marriage & Margaritas – folds the clothes they’ll be wearing for school the next day and places them in two boxes with their pictures on it.
That way in the mornings, her four children know exactly what they’re wearing and get dressed without a fuss.
Some mums are skipping the stations altogether and are laying out an entire weeks’ worth of perfectly ironed school uniforms instead.
One mum revealed she has a fresh white shirt for every day of the week, and even has socks with the day written on them too.
While another has a weeks’ worth of shirts, trousers and sock neatly stacked and ready to go so her little ones can get dressed in a hurry.
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