Get organized for the new school year with this detailed back-to-school checklist. Grab the free printable and start prepping for the first day of school today!
If back-to-school is on your mind, or maybe you’re currently panicking because you haven’t given it a single thought yet, have no fear! I compiled a big back-to-school checklist for you this year that covers what to prep, organize, and do before the new school year begins.
This checklist includes important logistics and admin tasks, school supply organization, a clothing check-in, school year routines, food planning, and prep for any traditions/celebrations you don’t want to forget.
Download This Free Printable Back-to-School Checklist
If you’re ready to start the school year off on an organized foot, you’ll love this school prep checklist! This free printable checklist is completely free to you to download and use. Fill in the form below and I’ll email it over to you right away!
And since every family situation and school district is unique, please let me know if this checklist is missing anything! I’d love your help making it as comprehensive as possible.
Getting Organized for Back-to-School Season
We all know back-to-school prep involves gathering the required school supplies, but there’s a lot more to it than that! Here’s a thorough to-do list of things you’ll want to focus on before the start of the school year.
>>Don’t forget to download the free printable above! I compiled this whole list of back-to-school tasks into one helpful pdf for you to print out and reference as summer draws to a close.
1. Important Logistics and Admin Tasks
There are quite a few to-dos in this category, ranging from required forms and fees to appointments and scheduling. These aren’t the most fun tasks, but they are very important to take care of before the start of school.
First, ensure you’ve completed all school registration documents and paid the associated fees. Also check that you’ve turned in all required medical documents, sports physicals, transportation forms, etc. And go ahead and deposit some money into your child’s lunch account now so you don’t have to think about it later.
If you still need to schedule an eye exam, appointments with your child’s pediatrician, or dental cleaning, pick up the phone right now and call to make an appointment because health care providers are often very busy this time of year.
If applicable, review your child’s schedule and make sure they’re enrolled in the correct classes. Contact the school with any questions or issues.
Take a few minutes to find the school calendar on the school’s website and add all of the important dates to your family calendar so you have all of the breaks, teacher development days, meet the teacher night, parent-teacher conferences, new classroom tours, etc. in one place. This is also a great time to add any practices or dates for after-school activities to your family calendar. And if you need to register your child for any extracurricular activities, go ahead and take care of that now if you can. We have a shared Google Calendar with all of these types of dates so the entire family can reference it any time they need.
The final logistics task is to make any necessary arrangements for transportation to and from school, make carpool plans with other parents, figure out where the school bus stop is, and line up before and after school care.
2. Backpacks & Lunch Boxes
Now let’s make sure you have backpacks, lunch boxes, lunch bags, and water bottles all ready to go for the upcoming school year. Round up all of the items your kid(s) used last year and determine what can be used for another year and what you need or want to replace. Check for functional zippers, broken straps, and other damage.
Maybe you want your kids to get a few years out of their backpacks, or maybe you have the means to treat them to a new one in their current favorite color. Either way, it’s smart to decide what you’re doing now and inform your kids so they know they plan before you go school shopping and are begging for a Barbie sequin backpack when they have a perfectly good backpack at home already. My daughter is in elementary school and I set the expectation with her that we’d use the same backpack for a second year, then we can discuss a new one for next year. And the same goes for her lunch bag. Our bento lunch boxes will last a long time, but I’m fine letting her pick out a fun new lunch bag for it every couple of years.
Toss all backpacks and lunch bags that are being reused into the washing machine and get them nice and clean for school, then go shopping (or order online) anything that needs to be purchased.
3. School Supplies
Now it’s time to reference the school lists and see what school supplies your child’s teachers require them to bring. Before you go shopping, gather up all of the school supplies stashed around the house and take inventory of what you already have. My daughter has enough plastic folders from last year that are in near-perfect condition so she’s going to reuse those and we were able to cross them off our shopping list. I also found a stash of extra spiral notebooks in my office so we don’t need to buy any of those, either.
Once you know what you already have at home, it’s time to go shopping for the rest of those school essentials. I thoroughly enjoy shopping for school supplies so going to the store and getting the full experience is really fun for me plus my daughter loves it. But if this is a stressful nightmare for you, there’s nothing that says you can’t add all of those items to your next Walmart or Target pickup order and call it a day!
Label all of the supplies with your child’s name and load everything up in their backpack so it’s ready to go for the first week of school.
4. Clothing & Shoes
First I want to say that back-to-school clothes shopping is marketed as a big thing, but your kid might realistically not need that many new clothes for school. We’re still wearing summer clothes here in the Midwest for a solid month or two into the school year so it’s not necessarily that important to do that back-to-school rush of loading up on new jeans and fall clothes. It’s always fun to get a few new things, but if your budget is tight and your end of summer schedule is crazy, maybe you can delay the clothes shopping until later in the fall.
Take inventory of your kid(s) current clothing and shoe situation and see what they need for the beginning of the school year. While you’re looking through their clothes, clear out all of the too-small items and have them try on anything that’s a question mark. I feel like this is most important for shoes because it seems like kids’ feet grow like crazy, doesn’t it? Sell, donate, or pack away anything that’s too small and see what gaps they have in their wardrobe after that.
Then you can shop for any necessary clothes and new shoes. Make sure you remove the tags and launder everything now so it’s ready to go.
5. Routines
I think a lot of parents are panicking this time of year when you realize bedtime routines need to change quite a bit to have a smooth start to the year. Now’s a good time to decide how you’re going to transition their sleep schedule and start implementing that as summer winds down.
This is also a good time to review daily routines with the whole family and set expectations for each family member. Talk through a school a typical school day and what the routine will be for meal times, homework time, bedtime, etc.
- Morning Routine – When does everyone need to wake up? What’s the plan for breakfast? What needs to happen to get ready for the day? What time do you need to be ready to leave the house? Who is handling school drop-off?
- After School Routine – How are kids getting home after school? Are there after-school activities every day or certain days? What is the process for unpacking backpacks? Is there a designated space for school papers? When does homework happen? Are there any ground rules for snacks?
- Evening Routine – What do your kids need to do before bed each night? Do they need to pack their bags or set out clothes for the next day? When is bedtime? When is lights out? Any screen time rules?
As you’re thinking through your daily routines and new schedules, this is also a great time to organize any drop zones or areas of your house that will help everyone start the year off on the right foot. Maybe you need to create a drop zone for papers, add hooks for backpacks, clear out the closet so there’s room for coats and shoes, or set up a space for the kids to do school work. A little prep now will go a long way!
6. Meals & Snacks
Take some time before the start of the year to make a game plan for food. Decide what breakfast will look like on school days and determine what breakfast foods you need to keep stocked. Then determine if kids are eating school lunch or packing a lunch, and outline food options for packed lunches so you aren’t trying to come up with ideas every day. Make a list of after-school snacks and figure out what snacks your kids will bring to school if that’s a thing. Make sure you communicate all of these items with your family so everyone’s on the same page!
Lastly, make a meal plan for the first week of school and fill it with simple dinners so you know what you’re eating and aren’t scrambling last minute. There’s enough stress this time of year without the added stress of figuring out what to cook!
7. Traditions & Celebrations
And finally, take some time now to decide which (if any) back-to-school traditions you plan to do this year. There can be a ton of pressure to do all the cutesy breakfasts and clever photo opps on the first day of school, but you don’t have to do it all! Figure out what matters to you and skip what doesn’t. This is a really exciting time of year and it’s tempting to want to incorporate all sorts of celebrations and fun things, but this can also be a challenging time and hard transition so don’t go overboard. A simple thing or two to mark the occasion is enough.
Are there any special breakfasts, snacks, or dinners you want to plan for the first day of school or the end of the first week? Do you have any special photos or videos to capture on the first day? Are there any fun activities or traditions you like to do after the first day of school? Are there any final end-of-summer activities you want to make happen? Do you like to send gifts for your child’s new teacher? Do these traditions involve your family or are any school friends involved?
Take some time to shop for any needed supplies and get a head start on prepping everything so it’s ready to go.
<<PIN THE IMAGE BELOW FOR LATER!>>
I hope this back-to-school checklist helps you prep for a successful school year! Whether you have younger children in elementary school or your kid is in high school, I wish you a smooth transition into the new academic year.
Looking for more back-to-school organizing ideas? Take a look at these blog posts:
- Organizing School Lunch Supplies & Streamlining Lunch Prep
- 15 Ways To Organize Your House For Back To School
- Creating A Portable Homework Station
- 10 Homework Station Ideas Perfect for Any Home
- Organizing Homework With A Free Printable Assignment Tracker
- Organizing Kids’ Art Supplies – Tour Our Craft Cabinet!
Have a fantastic day!
