Mudroom Essentials To Get Ready For School

Anything that helps you get the kids to school on time is definitely worth looking at!  While creating a functional mudroom probably doesn’t come to mind at first…it can definitely help you get your kids out the door.  Keeping your mudroom organized and having a few key items can really help.  Here are mudroom essentials to get ready for school!

Mudroom Essentials To Get Ready For School

Shoes

Ok, I am going to start with the most obvious item…shoes!  However, I’ve been there and I am sure I am not the only one, you are ready to walk out and your child can’t find their shoes.  So one of our nightly routines to get ready for school is to make sure shoes are placed underneath their backpacks in the mudroom.  It saves so much time searching in the morning! 

Umbrellas and Rain Boots

My kids, especially my girls, love to have an umbrella if it is going to rain.  Finding umbrellas, while we are suppose to be walking out the door, is always a disaster!  So to counter the last minute search for umbrellas, each of our kids have a hook for their coats and backpacks and now I hang their umbrellas in the same place.  I try very hard to remind the kids to hang the umbrellas back up on their hook.  The further you get into school, the easier it is to misplace items and then you are back to searching.   So try to be very diligent about getting into a routine and keeping umbrellas and rain boots in the mudroom.  Rain boots may have to stay in the garage if they are super muddy, but if you have a boot rack outside the door…that works too!

Bins For Each Child

I have a bin for each child, it is directly above their hooks.  The bin is to hold their homework, reading logs, library books and other important papers.  I have to admit, I love the look of each of the kids having a bin, but it goes way beyond looks and is incredibly functional.  Especially on Fridays when everyone comes home with a pile of papers…they have a place to put them until I have time to look over everything.  I also love keeping their library books separate from all the books in our home.  It just makes it easier!

Checklist For Each Child  

Helping your kids be self sufficient is always a great goal.  Instead of asking them every question…such as do you have your lunch, do you have your library books, or do you have your instrument?  Create a checklist for them, customize it with additional items based on what days they have library or gym.   Not only does it help them with responsibility…it helps you as well!  You could also create a rewards system if they complete their checklist each day without you “helping” them (of course depending on their age…they may need some help).  

Once I know what their “specials” schedule is (library, gym etc…), then I will write it in on the list and laminate the checklist.  Having the list laminated will allow my kids to use a dry erase marker and check everything off!

Here is a checklist for everyone to use! Click Here To Print.

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I will customize it for each kid, for example, my oldest will need to bring his viola to school on certain days.  

Nightly Prep To Get Ready For School

Creating a functional mudroom is extremely helpful, but it also helps to prep everything you can the night before.  Lay out clothes, make lunches…yes the dreaded lunches! 

Check out the lunch containers I use and love.

Remember anything you can prep the night before, do it.  It always makes the morning run more smoothly! 

I will be putting this all to the test tomorrow morning because we start our first day of school!  Maybe, subconsciously, this was just a pep talk for myself! 

Overtime some routines may fade away, so do your best to stick to it!  I promise I will be right there with you.  

Wishing you all a great start to your school year!  Thanks so much for checking out my post!