How To Create a Homework Station

For many, today is the first day back to school.  I see the moms doing the happy dance as the kids drag themselves to the school bus.  I don’t know about you but finding a good spot to do homework was always an issue at our house.  I wanted the “perfect setting” – desk with no noise while Belinda liked to do it sitting on the bed or couch with the TV or music on.  Homework can be a stressful affair for both kids AND parents.  But while homework is a fact of life, the daily chaos which  results doesn’t have to be.

Want to make your family’s after-school routine a little less stressful? A dedicated homework station is a must!

Homework stations keep supplies on hand and distractions to a minimum, providing kids with a quiet, supervised, place to study. When your kids are older and the workload becomes heavier, a centrally located workspace can help reduce feelings of isolation, allowing them to spend time with the family as they work. A shared workspace can also go a long way toward keeping your teen safe as they begin to spend more and more time on the computer.

I know you may think you don’t have the space for this, right?  The truth is you can create an attractive and well-organized study zone for your family. Have a large living room? Consider dedicating a wall to a row of mini workstations. Tight on space? Why not convert an upstairs landing or hallway into a homework zone? You’ll be surprised what you can pull together when you think outside of the box!  Here are some great ideas

The first thing is to find a room or space in your home which works for your child.  Depending how much assistance they will need, this could be in the kitchen or family room or at a desk in their own room.  The ultimate goal is to get them working in a proper set‐up with a table and chair instead of working from their lap – this way they establish good habits, can properly work on their handwriting and have room to spread out all their materials.

1) CLIPBOARDS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND

Clipboards are a good way to display important papers your kids may bring home from school, and can help stay on top of due dates and deadlines. A quick glance at the clipboard and you immediately know there is SOMETHING they need to work on – even if it’s a spelling list or a book report which isn’t due for a few weeks. These can be picked up at the Dollar Store or Target or Walmart.  Wherever you get them, definitely jump on-board the clipboard bandwagon!

2) INCLUDE A CALENDAR

Calendars are ULTRA important. It’s a great idea to hang one in your homework station to keep track of homework projects, upcoming tests, homework assignments, and all other important dates.  There are a lot of different types of calendars you could use.  But a simple paper one you can easily hang is tops on my list.  Like the clipboards, you can get these practically anywhere (even for free).  As much as I love a great dry-erase board, you don’t have to worry about anything you write down accidentally being erased.  Which is always a huge plus!

3) MAKE SPACE FOR BACKPACKS

Do your kids walk through the door after school, take their backpacks off and throw them on the ground. So fun, right? *Rolls eyes*. To avoid breaking an ankle and unnecessary messes, designate a space for backpacks! Cubbies  are ideal but if you are limited on space have them hang their backpacks on the back of their designated chair at the homework station.  This way things can be added to the backpack as they are done and nothing is forgotten at home.

4) STORE IMPORTANT PAPERS

Loosing important school papers is the absolute worst! Some basic hanging wall baskets or hanging wall file organizers are really helpful. Just designate one basket per child (or person in your family) and keep anything important pertaining to that person in it.  Or, you could divide your wall file organizer by designating the bottom space for homework that needs to be done, the middle for homework to be checked/signed off by you, and the top for school forms/fliers.

5) ORGANIZE YOUR SUPPLIES

Ever have one of those homework moments when you couldn’t find a pencil or calculator for the life of you? Yeah. Not so fun. I recommend keeping common homework and art supplies within arm’s reach of your homework station so there is NO excuse for them to not do their math!

Here are some simple DIY homework organization ideas:

• Cutlery Caddy –You can get these inexpensively at pretty much any big-box store, or even your local dollar store. Then assign each compartment in the caddy for a specific homework supply like crayons, scissors, glue, pencils, etc. Note: Usually the caddies from the dollar store only have two compartments.  So one thing you could do is also purchase six plastic drinking cups from the dollar store, put three on eachside of the caddy and then place your various homework supplies in the cups. This plate rack caddy is also a great way to organize school supplies.  Simply buy some buckets, cans, mason jars, or whatever to store each of your supplies in and you’re good to go!

 

• Door Organizer –This could be something like an over the door shoe holding organizer you can get at Walmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, or anywhere else selling home organizing products.  Just make sure to get a clear one so the kids can easily see what supplies are in what storage pocket.

 

• Art Cart – Find rolling utility carts at most big craft stores and home stores (even Amazon has some!).  From there you can begin to fill your art cart with not only supplies like crayons and pencils but also notebooks, counting aids, flash cards, books, and so much more!

What is YOUR best tip for setting up a homework station?  Share your back to school pictures with us…..

Have a blessed day!

 

Beat Manic Mornings

Some have already gone back to school or will be in the next week or so.  While the kids on the Jersey shore know the new school year is just around the corner.  Today’s post was inspired by thepeacefulmom.com. It has been a long time since I had anyone going back to school but I do remember some of the tricks which helped this crazy busy single mom stay sane (okay, maybe only a little).

Transitioning from summer days to the schedule of the school year can be rough.  Belinda always had a schedule even in the summer because of sports (gymnastics, field hockey and cheering) but she was definitely NOT a morning person.  So the first step was adjusting from the late nights and late mornings to early to bed, early to rise.  When she was younger, we started about 2 weeks before school started with moving bedtime up about a 1/2 hour every few days until the time school started, she was going to be at her required bedtime.  No it wasn’t easy and many days it was a fight BUT when the school year started it was a little bit easier.

Here are some tips to to help you send your kids back to school and make mornings a little less crazy at your house.  You can take a few pro-active steps to reduce the stress and chaos.

Prepare the Night Before

Generally anything you can do the night before will help to relieve stress in the morning. Kids should pack backpacks, make lunch, choose clothing and pick up after themselves. Mom can make sure all permission slips and forms are signed and all homework makes it back into the backpack, then set the table for breakfast (or at least think about what the kids will eat the next morning).  I know this sounds like a lot of work after a long day especially for the single mommas BUT it does help.  I know breakfast is the most important part of the day but it was not Belinda’s favorite meal and she hated eating in the morning.  The key was to have some grab and go things she could eat while getting ready or on the way to the bus stop.

Gather Your Gear

Having one central spot for everything is key.  It makes heading out the door a snap. Place backpacks, shoes, library books, lunch money, permission slips, etc. on and around an entry way table or in bins or baskets inside your entryway closet. No more searching for lost keys or forms you need to sign.  Ours was the counter in between the kitchen and the living room.  This way we could see everything on the way out either the front or the back door.

Create a Morning Routine for the Kids

Routines are the key to making your mornings run smoothly. It started with a routine for me.  Up early to get ready for work then get Belinda up.  Probably making a list of everything your kids need to do, creating a checklist they can mark as they accomplish each task would work for some but we weren’t list makers.  If you have kids who are too young to ready, use pictures.  If we had multiple kids, this would have been a definite to do.  A chart inside a plastic page protector so your child can use a dry erase marker then erase the marks each day. A great way to teach kids responsibility while ensuring you are not running around like a crazy women trying to get everything done in the morning.

Use Rewards

Use whatever your kid loves (watching TV, playing on the computer, playing video games) as a reward for when he gets ready ahead of schedule. In other words, no playtime until he’s done what he needs to.  

Get Ready First

This was always huge for me.  The fact I was a morning person made the difference.  It was easy for me to be up at 5AM to get what I wanted done before I woke up Belinda.  If you aren’t a morning person, you need at least a few minutes before the kids wake up to gather your thoughts and start your day well. Creating a routine for yourself is imperative for sane mornings.  Believe me the 10 minutes or so of quiet time to drink your coffee will make a big difference in the way your day goes.

What is your best tips for a sane morning when school starts?  Share your ideas with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!