Helping Kids Get Organized!

As a middle school teacher, organization is one of the biggest areas that I see kids struggle with on a daily basis. As adults, most of us have already established our own routines that work for us and help us be organized. It’s our job as teachers to help students find those strategies and routines. I strongly believe that the same strategy does not work for every person. If the organizational strategy for a student is not working over a period of time, it is time to try something new!

 

Here are some quick and easy ideas for teaching strategies to help students get (and stay) organized!

1. Use a hole-punched folder for a homework folder. Label one side “Done” and the other side “To Do” for easy homework access.

2. Keep a pencil pouch in every binder. Leave several extra pens and pencils in each binder so you never run out.

3. Pick a weekly “organize day” to go through binders and make sure everything is neat and tidy. This is so much easier than waiting until it’s gotten really disorganized.

4. If keeping multiple binders is too challenging, try keeping just 1 large binder and dividing the classes with tabs. This will ensure you never go to class with the wrong binder and eliminates extra stops that the locker that may make you late.

5. Keep a daily homework log. This one seems so obvious but is often overlooked! A daily homework log will help you keep track of work and due dates.

6. Put those papers away! When the teacher hands papers back in class, take the extra two minutes and put them in the right spot in your binder right away. This will save you time reorganizing later on.

For more tips, lessons, and ideas about organizing, check out my Study Skills Toolkit!