Gearing up for back-to-school can be a bit overwhelming; there is a lot to do, a lot of transitions to navigate, and often a sense of blues as the realisation that vacations have once again, gone by too fast. However, you can easily turn back-to-school anxieties into positive anticipation and make the ‘going back to school’ experience wonderful.

Ease into a ‘school’ bed-time schedule. Slowly transitioning into a ‘school’ sleep schedule ensures proper rest and encourages a positive attitude towards going back to school.

Create a place for everything, so everything will be in its place.

Designate one basket for each child to store his shoes, bags, and sweaters. Give each child a container filled with standard homework supplies that can be transported from, for example, the kitchen to the study room. Finally, establish a place for each child to store extra papers from school - a section of a file cabinet or a designated box under his bed.

Purchase supplies. Keep the supplies minimal and simple. Fancy folders and notebooks are bulky and hard for students to use. Simple notebooks will do just fine. And keep it all in one place.

Set goals with your children. Help your children look forward to going back to school with enthusiasm, having each person (including you) share at least two goals for the coming days: one academic goal and one ‘fun’ goal.

Once school starts -Have ‘family meeting’ every week! Ask your children what they have scheduled for the week such as sports practices or music lessons or any other after school activities. Your week will be much less chaotic because everyone will be on the same page!

Establish a routine for papers that need your attention. Purchase magnetic clips for each child and post them on the refrigerator. Tell your children in advance to give you the papers that you need to fill out, sign, etc.

All students need to use a homework planner! Check planners every night until they are part of everyone’s routine.

Clean out children’s bags once a week. Cluttered bags are the root cause of lost assignments and must be cleaned out regularly.