I have a confession: I’m in the seventh grade, and in the ninth grade a swell.

That’s because my two youngest children are in the 7th and 9th grades — and juggling their school assignments, activities, and sports can make me feel like I’m in school all over again.

Maintaining sanity when kids go back to school is all about organization.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, kids are more active now than ever. In 2020, the most recent data, 44% of boys were on a sports team and 35% of girls. As far as lessons like music or dance, 37% of girls took lessons and 27% of boys, with both percentages up considerably over 1998.

Homework varies widely by school and grade, with some assigning little to no homework and other students reporting more than 18 hours per week, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

AT&T Tech Expert Bryan Rogers says you already have the tools to stay organized: the calendar apps on your phone, which should be shared on the devices of every member of your family.

“I prefer to go with the Outlook calendars and the Gmail calendar that are built right into your emails just because of the ease of use,” Rogers said.

Bryan Rogers, AT&T: “Doesn’t matter what device you have; all the systems are very integrated these days.”

Deanna Dewberry, News10NBC: “Do you send an invitation to your kid?”

Bryan Rogers: “You can just create a shared calendar. Very simple. And then you share the link with the calendar.”

Those calendars are especially useful for your college kid who’s away for the first time. Most college email accounts will allow them to easily share their schedule with you, allowing you to give them friendly reminders and help them navigate all the responsibilities of juggling school away from home.

If you and your college student use a free app like Life360, you can track whether they’re really getting up for that 8 a.m. class.

What’s great about Rogers’ tips is that these are tools we already have, we just may not have been coordinating those calendars as a family. It’s another way of making that tech in your teen’s hand work for you.

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