School is just beginning for many children all over the country. This means mom can again look forward to school supply shopping, making school lunches, after school activities and evenings filled with homework. Below is a quick guide to surviving the school year.
- Re-usable food containers, silverware and bottles are not only better for the environment but will also save you money as they are much cheaper than disposables. Kiwi Magazine offers 11 ideas for a waste-free lunch
- Now is the time to get your home organized, before the paper piles start growing! Start by putting a family calendar in a common room and make sure all events are written down. Another organizational tool is having a plastic tray in the kitchen as an “inbox” for all permission slips and school announcements. Organized Home explains more tips to get ready for the school year.
- If you are having a problem getting your kids to do their chores after school, Empowering Parents suggests rewarding your children either with a monetary reward like allowance or simply a later bedtime.
- Looking for new and delicious after school snacks? Try tortilla pizzas, brown sugar dip, microwave potato chips, flourless peanutbutter cookies and more from Parenting.com
- Homework is rarely looked forward to by kids or parents. There are many ways to control dreaded homework time. Start by setting up a special, quiet area designated the Homework Zone. This is a space free of family and entertainment distractions. Also, start homework before dinner rather than after. Learn more about how structured homework strategy helps ADHD kids from WebMD.
- It is easy to over schedule you and your kids’ limited after school time. When school starts, set up activity limits to keep your family from being too overwhelmed. Allow one sport per kid per season, carpool with neighborhood families, and freeze bulk batches of food for easy evening prep. Family.com offers more tips to handle busy schedules.
- For families with toddlers, reading can be a struggle. Early Literacy Counts explains how reading aloud to children is beneficial to reading skills.
- With school activities comes costs. Field trips, sports equipment and school supplies that are continuously lost are just a few of the expenses that add up over the course of a school year. Here are some money saving tips for parents on school clothing, text books and supplies.
Parents, share your own back to school survival tips below.