Transition From Summer to Fall Checklist

The transition from the lazy days of summer to a new school year can be stressful as you try to complete all the tasks necessary. Depending on your location, the transition to fall looms on the horizon in the next month. For residents of Canada, the warm season normally lasts for about 3.5 months, from June 2 to September 18. Here in Florida, our heat will diminish slowly for the next 3 months. Of course, this summer has been incredible hot across the world. Who knows when the summer heat will leave us this year? Here’s a suggested list of activities for the remainder of August and September. Pick from the list to make your perfect transition checklist.

Savor Simple Pleasures

September can be a busy time with a new school year and the change in seasons. Sometimes it can be surprisingly hard to relax and simply do nothing, even when you do have free time. I find that planning for “me time” is vital for mental and physical health. First don’t call it “free time”; you’re not being lazy to plan for time for you. By planning to do nothing, you are actually giving yourself permission to fully relax. So what do you do during do-nothing time? How about enjoying a mug of tea or a tall glass of iced tea on the porch with a good book? If you don’t have a porch, you might have a spot in the garden or your home to relax in a comfy chair.

Share Your Surplus Food

If you are a gardener and have a bounty of summer produce, share your extras with neighbors and/or a local food bank. I firmly believe that throwing food away is a sin. So much food ends in the garbage in our culture while people are hungry. Now is also the perfect time to clear your kitchen to make cooking easier. Are your counters and refrigerator stuffed with clutter? That makes it harder to do meal prep. Create a clean workspace on the counter and remove expired, stale and unwanted food from the pantry, fridge and freezer. Donate unwanted and unexpired foods in their original packaging to a local food bank.

Set Up A Shared Family Calendar

Whether you prefer digital or a paper wall calendar, make sure all the dates for family members are in one calendar. Fall brings so many events and activities. Make sure the calendar is set up now so new dates can be added going forward.

Photo Amazon

Clean and Store Summer Gear

Once the last day at the beach or lake is behind you, take the time to clean out the buckets, shovels and boogie boards so they’re fresh and clean for next year. Toss out cracked or broken toys, and shop end-of-season sales to replace items if needed. Organize summer equipment so next spring is a breeze finding your stuff.

Organize Family Photos

Have photos from the spring and summer’s special moments? Take this opportunity to sort and organize them.

  • Back up digital photos with cloud-based storage
  • Make an album or a book of recent photos
  • See Tips for Organizing Phone Photos for more ideas
  • If you would like to display some of your photos but are finding it difficult to choose, put them in a big collage instead
  • See Photo Collages Made Easy for more information on apps available
  • Display photos from clothespins or bulldog clips on a wire
  • Start collecting photos to make a personalized calendar for 2023 – perfect family gift too!

Clean Carpet & Flooring

Summer fun can often mean lots of sand and dirt tracked into the home.  Vacuum and mop floors, and have area rugs and carpeting professionally cleaned if needed. Get your floors ready for the change in seasons.

Get Organized For Back to School

Consider what would make this fall run more smoothly for your family. Make a list of simple projects: a few extra hooks in the entryway to handle coats and bags? A better workspace or study area? Papers are a constant problem for many of us. Take the time now to set up a simple filing system and an inbox for each family member. Conquer the clutter!

Photo Etsy

Organize Closets

A school year means new clothes for growing kids. Did you have trouble adding new tops to the closet? Now is the time to organize closets. Assess what you already have. Check the kids for outgrown or worn out items. Get rid of unwanted wearable items and make a list of what is needed. If you’re thinking of buying a closet organizer, HGTV’s post on the best closet systems has lots of helpful information.

Photo The Container Store

Schedule A Time For Fall Maintenance

For most folks when fall comes, they have a couple of months of good weather left before the temperature drops. That means now is a great time to create a plan and take some precautions in getting ready for the winter season. Here in Florida I change filters and change batteries in smoke detectors & CO monitor in the fall. For homes in northern climates, the list is more extensive in preparation for winter with checks on the windows, fireplace, outside water spouts, etc. For a printable fall maintenance checklist. see Fall Maintenance Tips & Checklist. Start with that as a basic home preparation for winter. Add and delete tasks as necessary. You can use the Fall Chore printable in that post to list individual steps and assign them to family members. You could have a fall yard clean-up with the whole family. Organizing the garage would be another great family project. Then next spring no one has to say where’s my stuff. The clutter would be gone and finding things would be easy. The Family Handyman has great ideas in their article, Clutter Busting Strategies For Every Room.

Fall Bucket List

Fall is the perfect time for family outings. Have a family discussion about possible fall fun like a family trip to view the fall color. A free printable is available to develop your list.

Wishing you delightful and productive days in the next month with sun and family.

Thanks for the visit. Get exclusive free printables & all the news straight to your mailbox!

Subscribe

* indicates required

Please see my Link Parties page for the parties where this post was shared.

Carol

I was raised in Tennessee but have lived in Florida for many years. Love my small home in the Tampa Bay area and its developing garden. My decorating style is eclectic - some vintage, some cottage, all with a modern flair. Pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Spent many years in social services but am happily retired.

14 thoughts to “Transition From Summer to Fall Checklist”

  1. There are a lot of good tips here, dear Carol! Luckily we don’t have a school child here anymore and our grandson is only 9 months old. Nevertheless, autumn is often a busy time for us. Many of our friends have a birthday, we want to go hiking in moderate temperatures or maybe travel again. All of this needs to be well planned. I like your suggestion to give myself permission to fully relax. That’s absolutely true, you can and must plan such times into your life!
    All the best,
    Traude

    1. Sometimes I feel women are too hard on themselves and always feel responsible for everything in the family. We must all take time to rest. I’m looking forward to photos from whatever activity you choose to do in the next couple of months. I always enjoy your travel posts.

  2. This is such an awesome list! I don’t have kids and don’t live with my husband actually, but some of these activities still apply, such as clearing out summer clothes and organizing closets. I really do want to create a fall bucket list early on this year too.

  3. I love organizing the closet as the seasons change and I’m looking forward to doing a good deal of purging when I take it on in October. Today I was showing Rick’s mom loads of photos and realized how many duplicates need to be purged too! Never a dull moment!

    1. no the more you share time with family and friends, the more photos we have – endless circle! I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  4. I love September it feels like a new beginning with the start of school and the change in season.
    We have a Family Calendar and it really helps us stay organised knowing who’s in for meals and when we can have some time together.
    Great advice.

    1. I am not surprised by your family calendar. Your group is busy and you always seem on top of the action. I admire you and I don’t think I’ve ever said that to you.

I love to make new friends and get to know you.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.