The school year is right around the corner and now is a perfect time to set your kids up for success.  Check out these tips to help make homework go a bit smoother.  First, create a workstation to keep important school supplies easily accessible.   By doing so you won‘t waste twenty minutes searching for a blue pen because a teacher insists all work is done in blue pen.  If a specified desk or “office” is not available for a workstation, try creating a toolbox.  Stock it with the supplies your kids will need on a regular basis and place it in a common area of your home such as a kitchen cabinet or dining room buffet.  Then just pull it out when they need to work and put it away in its designated home when finished.  Keeping supplies at the ready will help to make sure work is completed in a timely manner and with less stress.

Next, make studying simpler by creating a subject system.  It's terrible when your child sits down to do homework and realizes they have the wrong text book or notebook.  To help prevent additional trips to the locker or late homework, make books, notebooks and folders easier to identify by coordinating items for each subject.  Cover the algebra book with a bright red color and match it with a bright red notebook.  What if your child doesn’t cover their books?  Make a color copy of the cover of their biology book and slide it into a binder with a clear view pocket on the front for easy identification.  Taking time to organize before school starts can help avoid headaches and arguments after school begins.