It's time to get organized for back-to-school! While there are so many things to prep before the new school year, today I wanted to share my favorite clothing organizing tips with you to make the school year run just a little bit easier.
My kids have inherited being morning people from their dad and since I’m NOT a morning person, I’ll do anything I can to make mornings go smoothly, so everyone makes it out of the house on time and in a somewhat pleasant mood (especially me 😂). One of the tricks I learned when my daughter was back in daycare was that prepping our clothing for the week goes a LONG way. When we organize and prepare our clothes at the beginning of the week, it gives my kids adequate time to evaluate their choices and make thoughtful decisions instead of making a hurried one the morning of. It gives me a chance to gently guide them into making different choices if need be to reflect weather, sports, etc. By doing this once at the beginning of the week, that's one less stressor on our plate after that morning alarm goes off. In turn, my kids are also building confidence and independence when they dress themselves every day in an outfit that they picked for themselves.
3 Tips to help you get your kids clothing organized for back-to-school:
- When you are doing your laundry, hang or fold outfits together when possible. Not only does this create an easy grab-and-go for your kiddos, my husband has always loved this trick since he couldn’t match our kids outfits to save his life.
- Sunday night, talk about what is coming up during the week - the weather, sports, special classes, spirit days, etc. Present 2-3 options to your child and let them “pick” their wardrobe for each day of the week. This gives them an active voice in their wardrobe choices and allows you time to propose any changes if necessary.
- Put the complete outfits (including socks, underwear, accessories, even shoes if you’d like) in a designated space - whether it’s a labeled drawer, bin, or hook on the wall. Maybe you take 5 outfits and put them in one drawer for your child to chose from during the week. Whatever works for you.
2 Systems for you to place your completed outfits for the week:
My son prefers his clothes folded and in drawers so for him, I bought two 3-drawer plastic dressers that tuck perfectly into his closet. I used my Cricut to cut the days of the week with vinyl and little graphics to depict his specials' - gym, reading, art, and baseball. I even cut little books as an added reminder of his library days. From there we put his complete outfits in each drawer so they are ready to fo each morning.
For my daughter who prefers to hang the majority of her clothes, I used Command Hooks on her wall and used my Cricut to cut out the days of the week. I also had this really cool dry-erase vinyl that we cut into clouds (her room is a rainbow theme) where we write out her specials, the weather, or positive affirmations. The Command hooks are amazing for this because you can raise them when your child (and their clothes) start to grow.
Will your child deviate from the clothes they picked out at the beginning of the week? Possibly, but in our experience, on very little occasion. This little life-hack has eliminated SO many fights and headaches for our family and I hope it can do the same for yours! I'd love to know if you do something similar and how it works for you!
