Organizing Your Entryway Closet for Back to School

Now that school has been back in session for a few weeks, many parents are finding that their carefully crafted school-morning routines have begun to unravel a bit. This is completely normal, but it’s also frustrating when children have a hard time finding their backpacks, homework is misplaced, and nobody knows where their shoes are. The secret to having smoother mornings just might be your entryway closet. Setting it up so that it provides an organized space for each member of the household can improve your morning and afternoon routines and send everyone off to work and school on the right foot.

One issue you might be having with your entry closet is that the kids might not have a place to neatly stow their backpacks, jackets, shoes, and other items. In addition, they need somewhere to put permission slips and notices from the teacher so they don’t get lost.

Hooks on the inner walls of the closet can be the perfect place for backpacks when they aren’t in use. When you think about the germs from the school bus, the sidewalk, and the school floors that are hitching a ride home on your child’s backpack, you might think twice about letting them take their backpacks to their bedrooms. Instead, give them a place to hang those bags; they can take their books out of the backpack to do their homework.

Smaller children aren’t able to reach a hanging rod that is a few feet over their heads. Talk to your custom closetdesigner about installing shelves or cubbies that will give them a place to put their items without frustration. One bin or cubby could be used for papers that mom or dad needs to sign; having a centralized location for these items can make your mornings much smoother and reduce the chances that something will be forgotten.

Your entry closet door is, of course, hiding coats, boots, and other items from view, but you can also give it another job. An over-the-door shoe holder will give you and your children a place to keep your shoes without having to take them to the bedroom, if that is your preferences.

You might also consider using the back of the door for administrative duties. Clips attached to the door can hold signed permission slips and notes to the teacher; color-code the clips so each child has one to check each morning on his or her way out the door. Another idea might be to paint the interior of the closet door with chalkboard paint. Use this space to leave reminders for family members, to write out your shopping list, or to make note of upcoming activities.

If you have older children, consider posting a wall calendar on the inside of the door. Assign each family member a colored pen or marker, and tell them to write down any club meetings, sports practices, play rehearsals, and so on, as they come up. When they walk in the door after school is the perfect time to attend to this task, as it should be fresh in their minds.

As you already know, making organization fun is the name of the game when children are involved. It will also help you and any other adults in the home. Think about updating the look of the closet by painting it a fun color. If you install shelving with bins, color-code them so kids know which bins are theirs. If the closet isn’t well lit, consider putting in touch-lights, which are more fun than regular overhead lights. Any of these extra touches can make your children more likely to want to use the space.

In addition, you might try incentives for keeping things organized. Getting your children into the habit of putting their items away and making sure their books and papers are in order might be as simple as turning it into a friendly competition: The child whose cubby is the neatest gets the privilege of picking where to go for dinner on Friday night, for example. Or you might surprise kids by hanging a baggie with a chocolate bar on each hook or by writing a fun message (perhaps about a weekend surprise) on the inside of the closet door. Use your creativity to come up with something that will encourage your family to keep themselves on track and keep the closet neat.

If you do not have a well-organized entryway closet, all hope is not lost. The closet organizers at Affordable Closets, LLC, are available to help you with a custom closet storage system. Hanging rods, shoe racks, shelves, drawers, a cubby system, and more are all possible. Even if you have a small closet, we can transform it into the storage system of your dreams. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation and design appointment.