You started the school year with great hopes. This year, your child wouldn’t have any last-minute rushes to find a lost book or homework assignment.

If your family is like most, there are probably some areas where your good intentions have slipped. Here are some things that can help your kids take more responsibility for getting ready for school each day:

• Tape the sides of a file folder together and hang it on your refrigerator door. Use it as a place for your kids to put those permission slips and other important papers you have to sign and return.
• Get a big basket and label it “Library Books.” Have everyone keep books there when they aren’t being read. Write the due date for all library books on your family calendar as soon as you bring them home from the library.
• Have your kids write down the due date for any big project on your school calendar. Some families write each person’s assignments in a different color. Other families are just glad to get the information on the calendar in any form.
• Get your kids in the habit of packing their backpacks the night before school. Over and over, say to them, “Your homework’s not finished until it’s in the backpack.” Then set the backpacks by the door so they can be grabbed on the way to the bus.
• Set all the clocks in your house five minutes fast. (It’s sneaky, but it really works.)

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