By Ann Dolin, M.Ed.
WASHINGTON — There’s no better time of the year to create habits for organization than now. Helping students create routines and systems from the start of the school year can pay dividends throughout the year.
Here are a few tips and tools that may do the trick in your family.
Hang the homework caddy
Be sure to allow your child to set up his or her own study space; it creates a sense of ownership. One of the tools many kids love is the Homework Caddy, which can be hung on the wall near the study space. It’s a creative hanging folder system to organize schoolwork, books, and homework supplies. I love it because it not only eliminates clutter, but it also helps kids and parents keep track of long-term assignments (check out the large monthly calendar).
Use one dedicated homework folder
For many students, keeping track of their papers is frustrating. It’s not uncommon for kids to complete their homework, only not to find it the next day. If keeping track of homework is a struggle, encourage your child to use one homework folder for all subjects, instead of putting completed homework in many different places. Studies show that when kids have a pocket folder labeled “To Be Completed” and “Completed,” they turn in a greater percentage of homework assignments on time.
Archive important papers colorfully
Having a place to store old but important papers is a good idea. Some kids are packrats and some are purgers when it comes to their schoolwork. They don’t know what to keep and what to toss. A good rule of thumb is that old tests and quizzes should always be kept. Most everything else can be tossed.
Those important papers can be filed once a month into a Pendaflex hanging file folder. Encourage your child to label each tab with the subject name. Keep the Pendaflex on the back of your child’s closet door so that it’s seen regularly. In no time, he or she will have a colorful archiving system set up to keep all of those important papers organized.
Set up a launching pad
Are mornings chaotic in your home? If so, consider a launching pad.
A launching pad is simply a contained space for everything related to school that needs to get out the door each morning. In essence, it launches the child into the day, equipped with all the right essentials – backpack, lunch box, library books, etc.
A launching pad can be a box, large basket, dishpan, or any container big enough to house your child’s school items. Put it in a well-traveled area, preferably near the door your child enters and exits from each school day.
I like having the routine that everything that needs to go to school the next day must be in the launching pad the night before by 8 pm. Pick a time and stick with it to create a routine for efficiency.
