What are your top tips for getting your children ready for back to school?

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Trying to be prepared this year with two DC's off to school! What are your top tips for getting prepared? All tips will be much appreciated?

A proper hook or other designated place for their book bags...and teach them to put it there.

Go through it EVERY night so you don't miss notes or invitations.

These are great getting these things sorted will start putting my mind at ease! (Stops pulling hair out). Any more welcome!

Getting back into school bedtime and getting up routine in the final week so it isn't a shock on the first day

Great tip, mrz!

Yeah, I want to make sure bedtime is set in stone this year. Does anyone have a nugget of wisdom for dealing with other children?

Hook each by the door - at their level. Coat / book bag on there as soon as they get in. Shoes underneath.

Go through book bag straight away and deal with anything inside it straight away eg invites / permission slips / dates for the diary. I do it as soon as they get in on my WFH days or as soon as I get in on my office days.

With two starting have you got twins? If they are same sex get them different shoes, identifying things on outside of bookbag and coats.

No different ages so the second it starting this term, it was hard enough with just one!

Wake them up, ask them to get dressed, eat, teeth, hair, shoes and leave. Works ok for us.

routine. I agree with going through bags as soon as you come in after school so you know if there is anything you need to deal with. Also getting things ready the night before. We have musical instruments or whatever needed on some days so we have a reminder for those on a board and it is the child's responsibility to make sure it is done. (obviously whilst young I still double check but if they haven't done it then they are prompted to think what they should have done and sort it out. this way they do always have the right stuff for what they need - and what we have paid for! but they also learn that they need to take responsibility for it). in the morning we have the no TV until they are ready rule too. tends to get them to get ready pretty quickly!

Have a stack of small envelopes and pound coins in a fixed place and replace as soon as it gets to the last few. This means any emergency "Mum, we are collecting for xyz today" is not resulting in a mad dash around the house.

We have two magnet boards, one for family stuff and one dedicated for DD for all kind of letters, certificates she may need to bring into school for show-and-tell and other assorted stuff.

NO TV in the morning.

If your school is good with publishing dates in advance add them straight to your calendar.

Set up a facebook group per class or join one, great for the last minute check on when another dress up day is or do they really do not have any homework or did DD just forgot to bring it with her-style of problems.

All homework, pe kit, lunches are packed the night before.
School aged dc do not get breakfast before they are dressed for school.
Younger son is left until last if we are running late and I have to drag him along in his pjs no harm done

Mine just get very tired out by school in September. They've turned 6 and 9 respectively over the holidays. It's good that their extracurricular doesn't start until the end of September by which time they have more energy and aren't coming home from school so exhausted.

We make sure they're going to bed and getting up at "school" times from at least 2 weeks before term starts. No other preparation, really.

Take photos on your phone of every bit of paper / invitation that comes home in book bags.