We are entering year 3 of school and I’ve made some tweaks to our family command center (aka school drop zone) to keep things running smooth in the mornings and help contain the chaos that comes home in the afternoon. Keep scrolling to see the keys to keeping my family of 5 organized on a daily basis. (sources linked!)
Calendar
Kudos to those that function well with a digital calendar. I need a visual reminder, however, of the daily, weekly, and monthly schedule. A dry erase calendar is perfect for us to constantly update as things come up. (Get my calendar)
Calendar Helpers
I stuck two clipboards to the wall with command strips, one for the academic year calendar & birthdates and one for the school lunch menu. When I update the monthly calendar it is so convenient to have the academic calendar handy to fill in days off and to use as a quick reference for long term planning. If you are not someone who remembers the birthday of every person you’ve ever met (definitely me), keep a list by your calendar and drastically cut down on the belated cards and apologetic texts sent each year too. (Get my clipboards)
Paper Sorters
Every command center needs a paper management system. These vertical file holders are AWESOME for quickly sorting papers that come home from school. Make it a habit to go through backpacks as soon as you walk in the door and you’ll save yourself the headache later. Toss what you don’t need, file what you want to keep, and pull out what needs to be returned. Don’t forget to add some name labels to avoid any confusion! (Get my file bins & file folders)
Hanging Hooks
Keep coats and backpacks off the floor with some simple hooks at a reachable height.
Shoe Zone
Designate a spot to drop shoes when you walk in the door (or before). I used a simple shoe tray that holds one pair of shoes for everyone. The rest of the kids shoes are close by but behind closed doors, so when we want to change it up its a simple swap that keeps things looking tidy. (Get a similar shoe tray)
Be sure to visit the shop to snag some custom labels for your own command center!
