Back to School Organizing
Top Tips From the Nashville Professional Organizing Experts
As summer winds down in Nashville, families are bracing for the hustle of a new school year—early mornings, packed lunches, overflowing backpacks, and the juggling act of homework, extracurriculars, and screen time. If that thought makes your stress level rise, you’re not alone.
At A Fresh Space, we help busy Nashville families create order from chaos, especially during key transitions like back-to-school. Whether you’ve got kindergarteners or high schoolers, these expert organizing tips will help you start the school year with systems that actually work—and keep working long after the first day.
Back to School Organizing
Transitioning From Summer to School: How to Ease the Shift
The jump from relaxed summer days to structured school schedules can be tough on kids and parents. Late bedtimes, inconsistent routines, and free-form days give way to early alarms, packed lunches, and academic demands. This transition can bring stress, resistance, and emotional ups and downs, especially for younger children or those starting at a new school.
It can be even more challenging if you are going right from dealing with summer camps and activities into the school year with minimal downtime. You’ve got all of that gear on top of the accumulated stuff from last school year to deal with.
Here’s how to ease the shift:
- Start the Routine Early: About 2-3 weeks before school starts, begin adjusting wake-up and bedtime schedules gradually so the first week isn’t such a shock to the system. This can be tough for the teens so it may be more of a conversation rather than making it happen!
- Talk About What to Expect: Walk younger kids through what their day will look like—especially if they’re starting at a new school or entering a new grade. Review the class schedule together, talk about expectations and concerns, and identify any needs they may have.
- Create Calm Spaces: A tidy bedroom or quiet reading nook helps kids decompress. Summer often leads to clutter buildup, so a good declutter session can set the tone for a calmer mindset. Creating a study zone or homework spot can also be helpful as well as clearly defined zones for sports gear, musical instruments, etc.
- Declutter: Clearing out the clutter from the prior school year and what's accrued over the summer means a fresh start and clean spaces for the new school year!
- Validate Feelings: It’s normal for kids to feel nervous, sad, or even cranky about going back to school. Let them talk it out without rushing to "fix" it. Just knowing you’re listening helps build emotional resilience. And sometimes the clutter is a sign of the inner emotional stress.
By proactively creating structure, communicating clearly, and keeping expectations reasonable, your family can shift from summer mode into school year readiness with far less friction.
Each age range has its own challenges especially as kids are either starting school for the first time and especially the pre-teen to teen years.
Back to School Organizing
Top Tips From the Nashville Professional Organizing Experts
1. Create (or Reset) a Launch Pad Near the Door
Designate a specific spot for school essentials—backpacks, lunchboxes, water bottles, shoes, and coats. Add hooks at kid-height, a shoe bin or mat, and a shelf or basket for papers that need signing. This reduces morning chaos and eliminates the last-minute scramble. If you had a spot already created – it’s probably due for a good refresh and reset!
Bonus Tip: Add a checklist near the launch pad so kids can self-manage their routine.
2. Tame the Paper Flood With a Command Center
Permission slips, artwork, weekly folders—paper piles up fast. Set up a family command center in a central location like the kitchen or mudroom. Include:
- An inbox for school papers
- A calendar for activities and due dates – personally, I love a shared digital calendar but for busy families – a central and visible calendar can be super useful as long as it is kept updated!
- A file box for each child’s keepsakes and records – I recommend a countertop hanging file for current/active records for easy access (like vaccination records or directories) and a memory box for things you want to keep.
In Nashville homes with limited space, a wall-mounted system can work wonders without taking up counter space.
3. Set Up a Homework Zone (Even If It’s Mobile)
A dedicated, clutter-free area helps kids focus. For larger homes, a desk in a quiet spot is ideal. But even in smaller spaces, a portable homework caddy or 3 tier cart with supplies (pencils, crayons, scissors, glue sticks) can turn the kitchen table into a functional work zone. As kids get older, often they avoid a desk or table and tend to lounge in their beds or a cozy chair so having a portable supply caddy can be very useful – much more so than taking up floor space with a desk that doesn’t get used!
Pro Tip: Use a rolling cart or handled tote for easy setup and clean-up.
Back to School Organizing
Top Tips From the Nashville Professional Organizing Experts
4. Establish an After-School Routine
Routines build independence. Post a visual schedule for younger kids or set phone reminders for older ones. Suggested routine components:
- Emptying & washing lunchboxes
- Hanging up backpacks/coats/etc.
- Snacks!
- Starting homework routine
- Checking for forms to be signed or projects due
- Free/play time
- Preparing for the next day by prepping lunches, filling the backpacks, laying out clothes, and any other tasks that get chaotic in the morning!
When everyone knows what to expect, evenings run smoother. And I can’t stress the evening prep enough – even down to placing things in the car the night before so they don’t get forgotten.
5. Declutter Closets Before Buying School Clothes
Before you hit the Green Hills or Cool Springs mall, do a quick purge of last year’s clothes. Donate outgrown or worn items to local organizations like Graceworks or Safe Haven Family Shelter. A well-organized closet makes mornings faster and teaches kids how to take care of their belongings.
Pro Tip: for younger kids, picking out clothes for the week can help reduce morning chaos.
6. Use Labels & Zones to Make Systems Stick
Clear labels (words or pictures for younger kids) help everyone know where things go. Label bins, drawers, folders, and even inside lunchboxes or water bottles. The more visual cues, the fewer “Mom, where’s my…” questions you’ll get. Making kids things easily accessible helps finding things and putting them away – like a drawer they can reach that holds all of their meal prep or stacking drawers in the pantry with snacks.
Back to School Organizing
Top Tips From the Nashville Professional Organizing Experts
7. Prep the Pantry for Speedy School Lunches
Organize lunch-making supplies in one zone of your kitchen or pantry. Use bins labeled “Snacks,” “Drinks,” “Lunch Staples,” and “Grab & Go.” Older kids can pack their own lunches or help restock bins on grocery day.
Nashville foodies tip: Check out Turnip Truck or Trader Joe’s for kid-friendly, healthy options that simplify lunch packing.
8. Think Ahead to Fall Transitions
It might still feel like summer, but now’s the time to plan for upcoming schedule changes: sports gear, musical instruments, colder-weather gear. Make sure you’ve got all the forms and the gear you need for these activities way in advance because you don’t want to be caught out if there’s a wait list or time runs short to prep. Creating a storage spot for all the gear is critical – otherwise it’ll just be everywhere! Think wall mounted for sports gear or some musical instruments like guitars, or baskets for sports apparel.
9. Outsource What You Can—Because You’re Busy
If you’re a working parent, busy professional, or just overwhelmed by the clutter, it’s okay (and necessary!) to call in help. At A Fresh Space, we work with Nashville-area families to declutter, organize, and create customized systems that work for your lifestyle.
Whether it’s setting up a back-to-school command center, overhauling closets, or creating a functional family mudroom, we can help you start the school year calm, collected, and clutter-free.
Back to School Organizing
Ready to Get Organized Before the Bell Rings?
Let’s make this the school year where everything runs smoother—without the frantic mornings and messy backpacks. If you’re in Nashville, Brentwood, or Franklin and need help getting your home ready for the back-to-school season, contact us today to schedule a consultation.
