Make the perfect family command center TODAY with our helpful tips and 10 creative command center ideas!
Parent Command Center
Any busy parent can attest to the craziness that comes from balancing the various family schedules. Sports practices, piano lessons, project due dates, picture day, field trip permission slips to be signed, etc. A household with kids (no matter how young or old!) is never more in need of a system for staying on top of all those details.
Enter: The Command Center.
Usually comprised of a calendar, contact info, and a place for incoming mail and papers, establishing an efficient parent command center can make all the difference between pure chaos and smooth sailing!
How to Make a Home Command Center
Think of your home command center as THE PLACE for all important things, and a way to stay on track of every event in your busy schedules. Find a place in your home that is in a prominent location so your family calendar gets seen and updated, and so your important papers are easily accessible and not forgotten.
Our command center is in the entry way to our garage. We see it every time we come and go, so our calendar gets checked often and important events are less-likely to be forgotten.
What to Include in Your Command Center –
Since every family is different, every command center will obviously vary. But here are some suggestions of what you could keep in your command center:
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A Big Family Calendar.
The bigger the better, I always say. 🙂 This way you can spot important dates at a quick glance as you rush out the door.
If you want to see details on the family calendar that we use in my home, (pictured above) we have all the details here:
Dry-Erase Printable Family Calendar(And keep reading to the end of this post for a special coupon to get this calendar for only $1!! )
If you want a smaller, notebook-sized calendar, we also have a free download for you here:
Printable Calendar -
Other Important Calendars/ Schedules
– activity/practice schedules
– teenager’s work schedules
– school calendar/important school dates
– Family Birthday Calendar (pictured above)
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Home Management Binder
A Home Management Binder is the perfect way to store important family documents and keep valuable information in one place! It is a great resource to have in case of emergency, and it is the perfect way to keep track of all things home and family related. We have some printables to get you started – read all about it here:
Home Management BinderIf you don’t want an entire binder, consider placing the following information in a prominent location somewhere in your command center:
– contact info for neighbors
– a list of emergency resources: telephone numbers for doctors + vets, insurance information, pharmacy and medication records etc.
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Chore Charts + To Do Lists + Daily Schedules
I use our command center as the location for my kids chore charts and my to-do list. In the summer, I like to add our Daily Summer Schedule so the kids know exactly what to expect of our day. Here are the printable versions + details:
Printable Chore Charts for Kids
To Do List
Daily Summer Schedule
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A Place for Incoming Mail and Papers + Small Office Supplies + A Trash Can
Every home needs a paper organization system for mail, bills to be paid, school permission slips that need to be signed etc. The more organized you can make this area of your command center, the better! I like to have a place where all things are “dropped” – a place where kids can set their homework folders or important project assignments, and a place my husband can drop the mail as he walks into the house. I don’t let the pile sit there for longer than 24 hours though, because I don’t want it to pile up and I don’t want those important papers lost. So I also include a file system in my command center where I can sort and organized all the papers. I toss unused/outdated papers multiple times a week, so having a recycle bin handy sure helps me cut down on the paper clutter!
The last thing I make sure to have handy are a few small office supplies – pens/pencils, paper clips, stapler, hole punch, and sticky notes, etc.
Family Command Center Ideas
Your family will be better off for having an organized space for all upcoming important events! But don’t take my word for it; take it from the ten stellar command center creators featured below:
- First, this galvanized metal and chalkboard wall allows for maximum flexibility and it looks fantastic!
- A radiator screen sure makes the perfect backdrop AND it makes organizing so easy!
- This command center has the perfect intersection of function and form. It has all the necessities (key hooks, wall pockets for mail, etc.), and provides the kids with a place to draw and play Tic Tac Toe.
- A row of clipboards hung at the bottom makes it easy to keep track of daily, weekly, and monthly calendars. From Little Yellow Wheelbarrow.
Just about halfway through our list!
- Kate from The Small Things cleverly morphs a command center with an entryway. The result is a completely streamlined wall a calendar, chalkboard, and plenty of hanging wall organization.
- This command center keeps it simple and stylish by using wire wall baskets for incoming and outgoing papers, a corkboard and calendar and some matching decor. From One Creative Housewife.
- Just a Girl Blog shares their discreet take on the command center. The inside of a cabinet door plays host to the organizational effects, all of which can easily be hidden away by simply closing the cabinet.
- A smart dry erase calendar and a slotted organizer below becomes a landing spot for important papers, keys, phones, glasses, office supplies and more! From How to Nest for Less.
- With a corkboard for pinning up important papers, a white board for jotting down messages, caddies,and slots for papers, THIS command center wisely makes use of verticle space, and looks sleek all the while.
- Finally, this DIY Organization Station from Shanty 2 Chic is completely homemade and occupies minimal space. Calendars and papers can be clipped on the clipboards. The basket of supplies to the right offers + the key rack below look awesome and function well.
Print Your Own Family Calendar
Our GIANT family calendar printable is one of the most popular items in our shop, and it has been for YEARS! We have 3 different versions, so pick your favorite! The regular retail price for this calendar is $7.97, but use the coupon code below to get the file for only $1!!!!
Simply visit the Somewhat Simple Shop and add this calendar to your cart, then enter the code
“COMMANDCENTER” at checkout.
Read our Family Calendar blog post for details and printing suggestions.
Good luck getting your family command center put together!
Great ideas! I sell organizational containers and I’m going to repost this so my customers will get some helpful ideas. Love this blog. You all really are a great group of information and creative ideas. Thanks, Sandy
Ahhh! I’m moving in to a new house soon, and have been “stuck” on how to design my “mud room,” and “Command Center.” I think these ideas will help lead me in the right direction!
Thank you for sharing these ideas! I’ve tried several times to make a command center but I end up not liking it. I need to morph these ideas into one for me!