How to Organize Your Children's School Stuff

Backpacks, lunch boxes, permission slips and homework assignments are just a few of the things your child has to transport to school and back each day. It stands to reason then that your child tends to leave piles of stuff around the house and in the car. You don't have to live with the chaos of school-related items, and with a few organizational strategies your child will always know where everything is -- and you won't have to trip over his backpack anymore.

Instructions

    • 1

      Designate one area of your home to collect school-related items such as backpacks, coats and papers. Hang hooks or give each child a tub to stash his stuff in so they always have a place to put their backpacks and coats, which reduces the chances that they'll end up on the floor. Add a basket to collect permission slips, school announcements and notes from the teachers. Include another basket to collect your children's graded assignments.

    • 2

      Ask your children to clean out their backpacks when they get home from school. Remind them to place items you need to see in the basket, put their graded assignments in another basket, clean out any trash and remove their lunch boxes. Make it a rule that the backpack and coat need to go on the hook or in the tub immediately.

    • 3

      Create a homework station for each of your children, suggests Donna Goldberg, author of "The Organized Student." Include pencils, pens, erasers, crayons and other necessary supplies. Having everything in one place allows your children to sit down and get right to work on their homework without having to spend 15 minutes looking for a pencil.

    • 4

      Spend a few minutes each evening preparing for the next day. Ask your children to place things they need to return, such as signed permission slips and homework assignments, into their backpacks before they go to bed. Remind them to put anything else they might need, such as a specific book or a new package of pencils, in their backpacks, as well. If it's cold outside, remind them to put their hats and gloves in their backpacks, too. In the morning, everything will be organized and they'll be ready to simply grab their backpacks and head to school without having to hunt for things they can't find.

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