Back to School tips from Peter Walsh and Friends!

I had the opportunity to participate in a live Blogcast with Peter Walsh and some of his friends (a mom, teacher, and kids). They all provided some great tips for helping your back to school be stress free!

First of all, kids can feel overwhelmed if there is clutter! Kids can't study as well and parents are often stressed just looking at the mess. It is a great idea to start with a clean slate. Take everything off of your child's desk and start from scratch. Some great ideas are to use expanding files, desktop organizers, and a simple pencil cup to give everything a home.


Routines are also key to having a successful school year. Take things out of back packs as soon as your kids arrive home. Set clothes out the night before in order to prevent confusion in the morning (forgetting homework, being late, etc). Also, it is a great idea to ask the teacher what belongs in the notebooks, label, and regularly purge them. Your child may also need a quick lesson on how to use a back pack. There are so many different storage areas and things can be lost easily if they are not using it correctly.

You can also help with organization by setting a good example. Show that you value organization yourself by finishing tasks and establishing clear limits and routines. Make sure you know the warning signs of burn out: lack of participation, clutter accumulating, fatigue, and your child not acting like herself.

I was also sent some back to school supplies you can find at Office Max this year. They are really trendy and sure to please the teens and tweens! Check out some of the cute designs. Right now you can save 20% online! My favorite is the owl clipboard:

You can connect with Peter Walsh, Ana Picazo (fellow mom), and Heather Wolper-Gawron (tween teacher) for more advice!



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