This tip is one of my favorites. With 4 kids, the morning mad rush out the door for school is really one of the banes of my existence; I am always looking for ways to streamline the process. If only I could wake up earlier, and arrange for immediate intravenous caffeine delivery, it might help! But I digress… anyway, this tip makes getting out the door in the morning so much easier, so try it this summer and see if it works for you.
I keep large baskets, one for each child, near our garage door. If you have a mudroom, that is the ideal place for your baskets. My kids know that this basket is where they are to leave all their “stuff.” Shoes, sneakers, cleats, soccer balls, library books, backpacks, lunchboxes, hats, gloves, anything at all. This is a great way to keep all the kids’ stuff organized and contained. It is also an opportunity to teach the kids about being organized: there is a designated place where their stuff goes, and they are responsible for that.
For some reason, all the stuff bothers me less when it is contained in a pretty basket! More importantly, this is a great way to stay organized. Rather than searching the house for your preschoolers’ sneakers or lunchbox or soccer ball (or all of the above), just check the basket.
Do you have any suggestions for improving upon this tip? Please post!