5 Quick Back to School Prep Tips To Save Time Later

By Rissa Hanneken, Rachel Deroche, Marianna Monheim, Jennifer Martinez, and Tammy DeShaw UPDATED MAY 6, 2024

As you count down the final days of the school year, back-to-school prep might be the furthest thing from your mind. Of course, you’re focused on finishing strong and getting that well-deserved summer break. But what if a little prep now could make your fall return much smoother?

I’ve partnered with four experienced teachers to create a collection of simple, time-saving tips. These go beyond just getting ahead; they’ll help you feel calm, prepared, and confident for the new year. Imagine going into the summer feeling organized and in control!

Back to School Prep: Get Your Sub Plans Ready

A few years ago, just a month into the new school year, I was hit with a sinus infection. It was brutal. Despite barely being able to stand, I had to go up to school before dawn to prep sub plans. Now, I normally would have a subfolder ready to go by September 1st, but it was August. I scrambled to put together some sort of plan for the day and I promised myself I’d never be caught unprepared again.

The start of the school year is full of surprises, some less pleasant than others like this one. That’s why I prep as much of my sub folder as I can at the end of the current school year. It’s one less thing to worry about come fall, and it ensures that you won’t have to drag yourself up to school at dawn to make sure your brand-new students have quality lessons for the day.

Here are my tips for prepping your substitute folder now:

• Start with the Basics: Include general information that remains fairly consistent, such as school policies, classroom rules, and any essential procedures that a substitute should be aware of.
• Engaging Lesson Plans: Prepare a set of engaging, generic lesson plans or activities that are suitable for any time of the year. To make it even easier, consider using this set of 3rd Grade Emergency Sub Plans. These plans cover five full days of reading, math, science, social studies, and morning work, ensuring that your students engage with meaningful content rather than just busy work.
• Important Contacts and Info: Compile a list of critical contacts, including the main office, the nurse, and neighboring teachers who can assist in an emergency.
• Notes on Students: While you might not know your new students’ specific needs at the end of the current school year, designate a section in your folder for later additions.

By front-loading this preparation work now, you free up valuable time and energy at the beginning of the school year for other important tasks—like building relationships with your new students and setting the tone for a successful school year.

First Week Box

Back to school prep may be the last thing you want to think about amidst the chaos of the last few weeks of the year, but Marianna from Creatively Comprehensive promises that this tip is worth it! Simply find a box and toss all the things you look for on your first day back every fall – things like staplers, tape, first-week copies, etc. Write “First Week Box” in big letters on the front of the box, and stick it in a place you’ll see it right when you turn your lights on for the first time in August. No more looking all around the room for the essentials – you’ll have everything you need!

Find more ideas for having a great beginning to the school year over at the Creatively Comprehensive blog. 

Back to School Prep Organization

Rachel from Uniquely Upper shares 5 practical tips for teachers to manage the chaos of the first day back at school to help maintain efficiency throughout the academic year. A great place to start is with essential preparations like purchasing a planner to stay organized. This helps in managing dates, notes, and classroom activities effectively.

Another great tip is having a well-thought-out game plan for daily activities. Stay on top of things more easily by ensuring everything in the classroom has a designated place to enhance flow and reduce confusion. It’s also important to establish firm classroom management procedures from day one and cultivate a loving and respectful environment where each student feels valued. These strategies are designed to smooth out potential hitches and foster a supportive and productive classroom atmosphere all year. To read more on the 5 Effective Back to School Tips, visit Uniquely Upper’s website.

Purging What You Don’t Need

Closing up shop at the end of the school year can be time-consuming and a bit overwhelming. However, Jennifer Martinez of everything just so has six tips for back to school prep that, if followed in the weeks before you go, can dramatically reduce and ease your workload.

The first one is to purge. Before packing your resources at the end of the year, be honest and reflective about their importance. Did these items help bring positive growth, build community, support independence, or inspire creativity this year? Did you actually use the fourteen bins of foam letters you have stored away – or did you really only need three?

Get rid of anything that doesn’t add value to you or your students but instead claims valuable resources such as time and space.

See her post here for five more tips plus a free printable tool to help you stay on track. 

Prioritize Your Mental Health

Tammy from The Owl Teacher knows that back to school prep season is the furthest thing from your mind right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that you can start setting yourself up for success today by practicing good mental hygiene.

Mental health is SO important year-round, but it’s especially important to be in a positive mental state when going into a new school year. To get you into the habit, start with these tips: think positively by focusing on things that go well, engage with a growth mindset, reflect daily through journaling, and most importantly, try to stop taking things personally! It’s always easier said than done, of course, but taking each step one at a time is sure to make a difference. 

You can read more in-depth about these mental health tips and find more back to school prep strategies to prepare for the new school year over on Tammy’s blog! 

Imagine a smooth glide into the new year instead of a frantic dash in the fall. Every step you take now, from organizing subfolders to prepping those first-week essentials, becomes a building block for a calm and focused classroom.

Take these tips, tweak them to your style, and hit the ground running into the new school year with confidence! Here’s to a restful end to this year and a spectacular start to the next!