Other than the holidays, back to school is the craziest time of year. When preparing my family for this crazy transition, I consulted with the experts.

Nancy Peham of Helping Hands Personal Services has these great tips to get our family back on track!

Q: How can I help my child stay organized at school?

A: If your kids are in middle school or above you can help them by providing locker organizers such as shelves (to double their space), magnets to hold schedules and supplies on the inside doors, or photos of friends or the family pet. For kids switching to a new school, a reminder of home can calm nerves and make the day go smoothly.

Many schools provide planners, which provide a spot to record homework assignments, due dates, and other important information. You can help your child stay on track by reviewing her planner on a daily or weekly basis.

Q: How can we make our morning routine go more smoothly?

A: Start by choosing your kids' clothing the night before (or let them do it if they're old enough). Avoids panic when favorite outfit is in the laundry hamper.

Prepare lunch the night before if you bring your own, or check to see that you've got money in your pocket or school lunch account.

Arrange your closets so that uniforms are easy to see and access.
If your kids don't wear uniforms be sure to separate acceptable clothing from items that aren't allowed in the school environment.

Make sure your kids get enough sleep!

Q: What should parents be responsible for regarding school?

A: It depends on the age of the child but there are certain things that you should probably take care of. In general, anything that's not assigned to your child

Making sure kids have lunch money or sack lunch
Keeping track of medication forms in case your child needs to be giving medicine at school

Following up each illness of absence with an excuse or note from the doctor.
Being aware of your child's schedule, knowing who their teachers are, and keeping open lines of communication between you.

Make sure your kids get up early enough to have a healthy breakfast and help them get to school on time, especially if you're driving them.

Making sure that forms and other important papers are kept track of, and are handled in a timely manner.

Q: What can a parent do with all the artwork and special papers their kids bring home without saving every piece?

A: Display your kids' work on a bulletin board or refrigerator, but set a limit for how long it will stay there. Let your child know how much you enjoy it, but at the same time set the expectation that won't stay there forever. Most kids will be fine with that.

For really special items, buy a memorabilia box or other container. Once it's full don't add to it unless you remove something else. By the end of the school year you'll only have saved the best of the best.

For 3-D projects or those that are large, take a photo and post it in a scrapbook with a sentence or two describing why it's special. Let younger children dictate while you write

For grade records or special awards, you may want to create a special folder that you'll keep with other important family files.

Q: How can we help our kids (at home) learn to be more responsible for their own success?

A: Make it a daily routine to empty backpacks of important papers that require parental input or action

Provide a special folder or in-box for each child to place these items into so you know where to look for things that need your attention.

For papers that need to be retained for future review, help your child set up files or folders labeled by subject. Try placing papers in chronological order to make it easy to quickly grab what they need.

Invest in a family calendar that's mounted on a wall near your home's entrance. Have each family member write their upcoming events in a different colored marker so it's easy to separate each person's activities. By recording everyone's information in one place you'll see at a glance any potential schedule conflicts. This will make it easier to take action in advance to avoid any meltdowns.

Q: Give us some tips for setting up our kids' homework area.

A: Start by creating a quiet area where your child won't be distracted.
Make sure they have a desk or table that's big enough to spread out.

Provide sufficient light to avoid eyestrain.

Make sure they have the tools they need, including pencils, pens, markers etc. so they don't have to get up several times looking for things. This can break concentration and makes homework take longer.

Be available to clarify assignments and help your child think through the tough questions
Have your child do homework before he's too tired to think.

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Guest / Guests Names: Nancy Peham

Titles: Certified Professional Organizer, Member of NAPO, and The National Association of Professional Organizers

Company: Helping Hands Personal Services

Website: www.HelpingHandsPS.com

Number for Consumers to call: 214 274-0106 or 972 208-4611

Segment Contact Person: Nancy Peham
Phone numbers: 972 208-4611 or 214 274-0106
Email: nancy@HelpingHandsPS.com

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