5 Tips for a Successful School Year and All the Printables You'll Need

 How is it already Back-to-School season?? And how did August just creep up like that?! After a very unconventional school year last year, we welcomed summer with open arms. But now that I've seen all of the fresh school supplies in Target and have planned my one-on-one school shopping dates with the kids, I am starting to get excited about the school year ahead.

Whether your kids are going back to school full-time or continuing to be homeschooled, these 5 tips are sure to get you organized and off to a great start.

TIP #1: GET YOURSELF A PLANNER

You knew that was going to be first on the list, right? Planners are what we do best, but we also know that planners are life savers when things get crazy and chaotic. So if there is ever a year that you NEED a planner...this is it.

Choosing a planner this year will really depend on how you are teaching or learning. If you want something that you can use for all areas of your life, our 2021-2022 Seasonal Planner is a great option and could meet all of your needs. 

But if you are teaching or homeschooling this year, you are going to want a little something more specific. Our Teacher and Homeschool planners come with everything you need with 2-page monthlies, weekly lesson plages, daily and weekly dockets, attendance logs, reading logs, and so much more. 

And don't forget your students! Our Undated Student Planner has everything from monthly, weekly and daily calendars, to assignment lists, schedules, reading logs, ToDo lists and project planners. 

Need something a little more simple for younger kids? Check out our My First Planner!

TIP #2: HAVE A FAMILY BINDER OR BULLETIN BOARD

If your household has multiple schedules and multiple learning plans this year, we highly recommend setting up a family binder or bulletin board. This binder or space should be somewhere that is easily accessible for all members of your family (we really like the kitchen). It can include any/all of the following:

Important School Information & Paperwork

In addition to all the handouts you get from school, our updated School Printables will help you keep track of school info, logins and passwords for the various websites you and your children will need to access and a weekly checklist that can be printed out for kids to keep track of their subjects, homework, chores, etc. We left it blank so you can fill it in for your needs. 

Shared Calendars

The purpose of a calendar in your Family Binder is to help sync everyones schedules. While some people prefer monthly views, we REALLY love our Detailed Weekly Calendars during the school year. They have plenty of space for daytime reminders, schedules & appointments, dinner planning, evening events and a daily ToDo checklist. This calendar would work great in a binder, but we prefer to print and laminate ours so that it can go on our refrigerator or family bulletin board. Use wet/dry erase markers and reuse each week. 

Home Management Pages

Your Family Binder doesn't just have to be used for school and schedules. You can also use it to keep track of annual appointments, vehicle maintenace logs, cleaning schedules, emergency contact info, detailed lists and more! You can find millions of awesome free printables online for this section, but be sure to also check out our FREE Home Management Set. 

TIP #3: TAKE NOTES and/or KEEP A JOURNAL

Calling all notebook hoarders! This tip is for you. Break out one of the many unused notebooks you have in your house right now and put it at your work station, on your nightstand or slip it in your tote. Technology is great, but as a writing teacher, I am always encouraging my students to put pen to paper. This is the PERFECT year to begin journaling if it isn't already one of your habits. You can find a variety of different journal prompts online, but sometimes the best journaling is simply a recap of your day. What did you do? Where were the struggles? What were the highlights? How did you feel?

Traditional journaling not your thing? You can also use your notebook for lists, jotting down notes and ideas, doodling, handlettering and more! The goal is simply to write/doodle in it every day (or as many days a week as you can remember).

TIP #4: CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY

One of our favorite traditions here at ThePolkaDotPosie is the "First Day" picture. We have been making our First Day of School signs for 8 years and there is nothing we love more than seeing all of your kiddos holding our signs in these special pictures. So tag us if you want or use the hashtag #ThePolkaDotPosieBackToSchool so we can see them!

Also, while you are busy downloading our signs, be sure to also download our set of Printable Lunch Box Notes! 

These make lunchtime special on the first day, and every day throughout the school year. 

TIP #5: DON'T FORGET TO PRACTICE SELF-CARE

If there is one thing the pandemic has taught me, it's the importance of self-care. Making time for ourselves is not always easy, but it is so important for our well-being. As my grandma always said, you can't pour from an empty cup! In order to help you work self-care into your routine, we've put together a list of 50 different self-care ideas and inspiration. The pritntable list also comes with a blank calendar if you want to schedule your self-care ahead of time :) 

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Although the school year will look closer to normal for many us, let's remember to still go through it with plenty of grace and understanding for ourselves, our kids, their teachers and their school administrators. Let's support each other, no matter how we choose to educate our kids or do our jobs. 

And ThePolkaDotPosie is here to help in any way we can. With printables :)