You all know by now I am a big fan of reflecting, creating lists, and then reflecting again. Typically, I utilize this practice for planning out curriculum or projects and activities. This month, I will be reflecting, prepping, and planning for back to school season. For me, it won’t be as a teacher this year, but as a mom with a school aged kiddo! However, hopefully some of you can put this practice to use as teachers or child care providers, too.
Now, I don’t want to say goodbye to summer that easily! I like to think back to the beginning of summer and remember what all we hoped to see or do. Can we squeeze in one more day at the river? One more picnic at the park? One more weekend with family? What else do my children want to do?
After we’ve had a few more days of summer fun, I like to reflect back on summer and think about all the fun that we had. If I were still working with young children, I would have them create a summer memory book, photo album, or painting along with a written caption to remember their favorite summer activity or day spent with me. I will do something similar with my children. I also enjoy making and ordering seasonal and birthday photo books (I have two kids with summer birthdays) which I plan to do this month, too. You can make a photo wall or a photo book for your childcare program and leave it out for children and families to enjoy when they arrive in the mornings. This will spark discussion and help children remember fun and happy summer memories.
Once I feel we have officially sent summer off, I begin to get ready for a busy back to school season and one of my favorite times of year, FALL!
I might start with a declutter and house clean to see what all I have for the upcoming school year and figure out what I might need. It also feels really great to clear out some clutter and start fresh. If you haven’t tried this, I highly recommend it! It feels so nice to walk into a room or open a closet and see organized shelves, cleared off counters, and some clean, empty space. I know the trend is to go all out for school supplies, but what if you were to go through a full closet and find a hidden box full of unused pencils and notebooks that are ready to be used this school year? If you have the time and energy, do this with all spaces of your house. I plan on doing it with my kiddos clothes, too, as chances are, they probably won’t need many new things for school if I get organized and first figure out what we HAVE as opposed to what we NEED. After you clear things out, if you still have usable items, consider posting them to your local Buy Nothing group or a local parents group to see if anyone needs the items for their children or child care during this busy and sometimes stressful time.
After some organization, cleaning, and decluttering, I will start to prepare for the things we need to do which might include shopping, scheduling, and planning. I will make lists for school supplies and start some fall meal planning. We might stock up on easy to get dry goods or supplies in bulk such as socks, hats and gloves, pencils and pens, tissues, and even some foods such as rice, noodles, peanut butter, oil; the things you don’t want to run out of when times get busy! If money is tight or you are living paycheck to paycheck, prioritize your lists with 1, 2, 3, etc., so that you know what to buy first or how much to save from the next paycheck to buy something. For example, you know you will need a new set of hats and gloves in October or November so you might want to put $10-$20 from each paycheck away until it’s time to buy them. Then you will have most of the money you need, or at least a good chunk of it!
Next, I will sit down and look at my planner and pencil in dates for sports, back to school health appointments, days off, days childcare is needed, important bills or subscriptions due, upcoming holidays and gifts needed, and so on. Think to yourself, “What can I do now that will help me in the future when the days are short, busy, and soon to be cold?”
Taking care of children can be exhausting, both mentally and physically. Getting organized and having plans can be a way to take care of yourself, because like I mentioned earlier, it’s a way to help future you out and make your life easier. Remember when planning, don’t forget to schedule in some time for yourself! Make sure to put a few things into your calendar that are just for you, or at least things that you enjoy. This can be something simple like going thrifting on a Saturday morning, or something more extravagant like a friend's trip somewhere warm this winter or planning a family vacation for the next summer. This will give you something to look forward to and remember to not just focus on the day to day of taking care of others.
Don’t delay getting organized and doing something that you will be glad you did two months from now. Knowing you are organized and have things planned out will give you some room to breathe and enjoy your time with the children in your care!
Meghan is a born and raised Montanan, mama to a new baby boy, a busy preschooler, and a bonus mom to two amazing teenagers. She holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Early Childhood Education. Meghan is currently working part time with Raise Montana as a project specialist where she writes blogs, curriculum guides, and hosts the seasonal book clubs. Meghan is passionate about using her experience as an early childhood educator and as a mom to bring knowledge and inspiration to Montana child care providers.
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