Organizing School Supplies With Kids- An Easy Step By Step Plan
EPISODE 24
by Dianne Jimenez
This article takes 19 minutes to read
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Organizing School Supplies With Kids – An Easy Step By Step Plan
Today’s podcast episode is about organizing school supplies before we roll into summer mode. I know it’s SUPER tempting to get into that mode right now, but trust me, you’ll thank YOURSELF down the road for completing this ONE task.
For us here in Quebec, school officially ended on the 23rd of June. Wherever you are in the world, whether your kids finished school a while ago or they’re at the tail end of it all, if their school bags are sitting there, filled with their books and supplies. Or if these school items are just lying around scattered all over the house: Listen up!
This episode is like a mini training where I’m going to help guide you, step by step, into organizing school supplies; so that everything’s ready for the next school year. But here’s the thing: if you’ve been the one taking care of all the school supplies in the past. Maybe you slowly organizing things over the summer. Or you nip things in the bud at the start of summer…no no, not anymore. If you know me by now, follow me on social media and listened to a few episodes, you know I’m all about getting the kids involved when it comes to organizing our homes and lives.
So let’s go!
First off, if you’re wondering “Why do this now?”
Let me paint a picture for you: Say, we take the same scenario I just mentioned a minute ago where the school books and supplies are either still in your kids’ school bags somewhere in the house or scattered here and there in different piles. No doubt it’s clutter that’s not only taking up physical space but mental real estate too. Because you know it needs to be dealt with, right? The thing is, it just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of your ever growing ‘to-do’ list and then sits in your mind all summer long.
And imagine it being close to another school year and you’re overwhelmed and scratching your head at all the extra supplies you need to get. However, you you could have sworn you got new school supplies last year.
So, where is everything?
Another scenario would look like this: Maybe it’s crunch time now and with the summer ending. You’ve got fall activities to register for planned around your schedule. Along with this, the doctor and dentist appointments to book. Now you have to deal with organizing school supplies so they start the year off right: with everything they need. But time, as always, is running out!
I know there are so many more situations and scenarios similar to these in many households. But what do they all have in common? They all end up leaving parents frustrated, annoyed, not wanting to deal with it and then mentally depleted. ….. And the school year hasn’t even begun yet!
How can we avoid all those unnecessary feelings?
…imagine it being close to another school year and you’re overwhelmed and scratching your head at all the extra supplies you need to get when you could have sworn you got new school supplies last year.
Want to go from 'drowning' to peace of mind?
Nip it in the bud: now!
It’s important to do this today. Nevertheless, give yourself a week to finish this simple and easy task. Also, don’t do it alone. As a parent, it could go a lot faster if it’s just you and it’s SO tempting to take it all and get it done and over with. I HEAR you! I’ve done this myself over the years. But now, I do things differently: I take every moment I could as a teaching moment. Let’s not discount the fact that you’re here right now, following this podcast show. In addition, because deep down, you also don’t want things to always fall on you, right?
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it over and over again: Life stuff, household stuff, organizing it, maintaining it all and everything in between, doesn’t always have to fall all on you. It’s not why you’re here in this world. As parents, we are their first teachers so, teach what you know how to do. Your future self and your kids will thank you for it, I promise!
Now, could you imagine taking care of this task, EARLY in the summer? How much more good energy will be created from within you because you just ticked off another item off of your to-do list? Another plus here is, feeling really good because you’re involving and teaching the kids to take care of their things! All the more reason to get started now with organizing their school supplies. OK!
So we got the ‘why’ down. Next is the ‘how’. You might want to grab a pen and paper my friend, just in case you need to take notes. Alright,
STEP 1
For Organizing School Supplies With Kids
GENERAL SORTING
First off, grab 3 empty laundry baskets. Next, in 1 basket dump all the writing tools, glue, crayons and scissors. Then, in the 2nd basket, put all the papers, binders, folders and workbooks. And finally, the 3rd basket is where you’ll leave empty, for now.
If you don’t have available laundry baskets (because they’re kind of being used at the moment), no problem! In essence, you can grab anything that can contain their school supplies. Heck, if you’re really stuck, just make 2 piles on the table or floor. It’s OK.
Next, have the kids start sorting through their bags. Better yet, grab from their stack of school supplies they left lying around and start sorting their things in either of the 2 baskets: 1 for all the tools and the other for all the paper items and anything holding papers inside them.
To clarify here, we’re doing a general sorting here. So DON’T empty out the pencil cases or Ziploc bags just yet. In the same manner, the 3-hole folders and binders shouldn’t be emptied right now. It’s important to refrain from taking the papers out at this point. As tempting as it might be, we’ll handle all of that later.
Slow down
Be that as it may, it’s important to take things slowly and do one step at a time here. Especially because we’re involving the kids. As Dr. Siggie always says, ‘slow down’. If you’re easily overwhelmed by all the little hands getting in there, this is the reason why we’re doing this step by step: Clearly identifying the spaces we’re working in and giving specific and simple instructions. You’ve got this!
Life stuff, household stuff, organizing it, maintaining it all and everything in between – doesn’t always have to fall all on you. It’s not why you’re here in this world.
find out how families with 3+ kids tackle the beast: laundry!
GENERAL SORTING (continued)
So this part should be fairly quick and easy to do. Actually, it can be done in a matter of minutes because 1 basket is filled with work books, papers and folders. While the other is all the tools (i.e. writing and drawing tools, glue, erasers etc.). Basically, this basket is everything that’s non-paper or document-type items.
Now, this is a great time to get the kids to check every single pocket and different compartments of their school bags. If you have elementary school-aged kids, like I do, there will definitely be some extra “treasures” that can be discarded. Or maybe they want to keep. To clarify, my kids kept “special” rocks they found over the course of the year: It was asphalt.
Another reason why it’s important to check all the pockets is because of the chance they may have a special note or card they forgot about… To be perfectly clear, there may be that birthday invite your kid forgot to give you. In fact, it’s happened to us so you’re not alone, friend!
OK, moving on!
STEP 2
For Organizing School Supplies With Kids
SIFT OUT WHAT WE DON’T NEED
Before we move on, I’m going to stop you right here for a second. Because, again, you don’t want to start unzipping those pencil cases and emptying out binders – YET. (That’s coming up real soon, I promise!). Currently, we’re looking for items the kids will definitely no longer need for next year. For instance, these are the workbooks that come from the school. Such as the ones the kids used to do their work in as well as the lined notebooks or copybooks.
Thankfully, this is a quick and easy step and a great way to get the kids looking for specific details. They love this especially if you have an example of 1 copy book and they have to look for something similar in the pile. Nevertheless, it’s like a search and find: ‘who could be the first to find all the workbooks?‘ Or ‘who can remove all their OWN workbooks and copy books from the pile?’
Surely it’s exciting and kids love games.
So make organizing school supplies fun!
With the copybooks, notebooks and work books extracted, get the kids to look through them quickly to see if they have all been used up. In order to do this quickly, have them to go to the last few pages to see if it’s been used all the way to the end.
Yes? Recycle.
No? Then they have to give it to you to inspect. Or rather, give it to the older sibling to give them that extra task.
To emphasize, notebooks or copybooks that NOT fully used (i.e. less than half) you can keep those aside or put them back in the paper/binder basket and I’ll explain why in a bit.
With the completed workbooks and used notebooks pulled out, the kids can now put them straight into the recycling or garbage bin.
Side note…
When it comes to recycling, there are rules and regulations we must follow depending on what your city or province will accept as “recyclable” material. Please check your city’s rules and guidelines when it comes to this so that you’re placing the appropriate items where they belong.
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Alright, so back to your 2 baskets we move to…
STEP 3
For Organizing School Supplies With Kids
PICK ONE CATEGORY
Continuing on the simple and easy path, start with the basket that’s easiest and the quickest for you to go through.
For me, I’d start with the papers/binders and folders basket because it’s just 2 or 3 categories to work with. Plus, they’re pretty similar in shape. Whereas starting with the other school supplies, it can get overwhelming and out of hand quickly. The reason for this is because of all the subcategories this basket has.
…especially because you have helpers or ones that tend to take off mid way? Keeping it simple and doing 1 thing at a time is key for success!
Remember when I mentioned earlier NOT to empty out the pencil cases or undo anything? This is because we want to work with as little overwhelm as possible. Especially because you have helpers. Or because they also tend to take off, mid way, keeping it simple and doing 1 thing at a time is the key to success!
Speaking of taking off and having to stop mid project…
To emphasize, if you have to stop, I suggest putting everything in separate baskets or bins. The reason being is, taking the baskets and pushing them out of the way is a lot easier to handle than having school supplies all over the place. Then telling everyone “don’t touch this area!” all the time. Imagine having to reorganize everything after a break because things got accidentally shifted around? No way.
Let’s keep it simple, clean, and 1 step at a time. In essence, I’ve got you covered my friend!
Full disclosure:
Before this episode went out, I got my kids to just empty their bags and sort their things between 2 baskets the other day. In addition, my older kids did get the added instructions to recycle the workbooks from school right from the get go. So now, I have 2 baskets for us to sort through. However, they’re currently stacked one on top of the other for us to tackle again later.
Undoubtedly, life started up again and it happens. Even still, at least I don’t have piles of school supplies all over the place like I had in the past. Albeit, in those days, it was also just me taking care of it all.
When you’re all ready to tackle this next step, ensure to focus on the one basket until it’s all empty. Do you remember how we did a general sort earlier? Now it’s time to go to move to
STEP 4
For Organizing School Supplies With Kids
SPECIFIC SORTING
It’s finally time to separate this basket into 2 or 3 piles or sub-categories. To begin, your first subcategory will have all the papers in 1 pile. Then a second one pile will be all the binders. Finally in the the other pile will be the half-used notebooks and copybooks we put aside earlier.
Of course, every school requires different supplies each year. Therefore there may be other items falling in the ‘paper’ sub-category, such as dividers and sketchbooks, plastic sleeves, etc. In such case, make separate piles for those too.
To clarify, we’ll be making a decision on every piece or item under each of these piles. Understandably, it could get overwhelming. That’s why it’s really important to make these piles, or sub-categories, distinct from one another. Honestly, it’ll help make the next step run quickly and smoothly.
3 Things To Establish Now Before Losing Your S#!T Later On (During The School Year)
So here’s a good great strategy: if you have to label each pile with post-its or brightly colored paper to help, then go for it!
This is what organizing with me is like whether it’s 1 on 1 or through my courses
I believe that having a plan, a structure and framework to get from overwhelmed with all the clutter and disorganization to being in control and on top of your things, are crucial. Therefore when anyone NEEDS something, they know where everything is and where it belongs after they’re done using it.
Essentially, I also have you in mind. For instance, getting the kids involved in some or all of the steps of the organizing process, as we’re doing right here, will benefit them down the road. What needs to be top of mind is the ‘big picture’. As well, having lots of patience is always a good thing, for them as well as for yourself!
Finally, let’s keep moving to the next and last step
STEP 5
For Organizing School Supplies With Kids
FINAL SORTING
It’s important to understand, this next step is where you need to be clear with your instructions and criteria of what to keep, toss or reuse.
Consequently, remember that 3rd basket we had at the beginning? If you don’t have a 3rd basket or container, that’s OK. Simply create a space for all the school supplies that will be reused for next school year. If you already have a bin with the overstock of school supplies, then have it nearby. The reason for this is, some items will be going back to their home baby! Exciting, isn’t it?
Because we’re involving the kids, you can either go through each sub-category 1 by 1 as a group. And depending on how many kids are involved, their age and attention (you know your kids best), you can also have them take care of 1 sub-category each. For the sake of time, the latter may be quicker to go through this process but requires a lot of overseeing and coordinating on your part. Therefore, do whichever is simple and easy for you. It’s important to remember this:
take the path with the least amount of overwhelm if this is something you struggle with.
And it’s OK. Don’t forget, this is your journey, your path. And, by the way, you’re doing great taking this on!
Back to the project at hand. Regardless if you decide to do this as a group or give each kid a sub-category to handle, the goal here is to place every item from each sub-category in 1 of 3 places:
- Garbage
- Recycling
- Reuse
Just to let you know, there will be A LOT of loose papers at this point. In addition, many are still in good condition to reuse. And what do I mean by “good condition”?
What we do at our house:
Instead of recycling ALL the loose papers we removed from the binders and folders right away, we first check to see if the other side is blank. If it is, it’s placed in a clipboard labeled “scrap paper” . The clipboard is then kept in our little command center for easy access and use.
If your kids are like mine, they love to doodle. In addition to this, I tend to make notes, lists, and brain dump ideas and thoughts on paper throughout the day. Therefore having scrap paper, neatly organized and readily available, works very well for our needs instead of using printer paper all the time. It can get expensive if they keep grabbing the good paper for their scribbles, you know?
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So maybe this teaching and learning opportunity isn’t just for the kids but a great reminder for us adults as well!
When it comes to the binders and folders, you give the criteria of what is a ‘keep‘ and what’s a ‘toss‘. Sometimes I kick this up a notch and have the kids observe the items themselves and ask them: What do you think: Keep or toss? Thus giving me intel on how they decide on things. As a matter of fact, it’s pretty valuable information, especially if your kids tend to keep a lot of things, like paper!
Honestly, I can relate to this. And if you do too, listen to my podcast episode #21 after this episode because I give you strategies to help kids store and organize THEIR papers. Also in this episode I also take you behind the scenes at what it looks like at my house. In addition, I give tips on how to keep the communication open with you and your partner or spouse AND the kids. As a result, making this whole teaching and organizing process is as smooth as possible for the long run. So head to episode #21 Teach Kids How To Store Their Papers right after this. Alright, let’s keep going!
Now that all the papers are either recycled or reused as ‘scrap paper’; the binders and folders are either in the school supply bin ready for next year OR tossed because they’re ratty and broken; the ½ used notebooks can be reused also.
Use what you’ve got
In fact, here’s where the used notebooks come in handy: Like many families, we love going to restaurants. However, I’m not talking about fast food. Where we prefer to go, is the ones where you sit down, look at the menu, then order your meal. While you wait for the meals to arrive, you’re having a nice conversation with your family. Now this sounds way too perfect, right? But it can be close to it because whenever we go out, the kids each have what we call a ‘restaurant bag’. Such a fancy and fitting name, right?
When they were still toddlers, having something to write with and paper, or coloring books, inside their diaper bag was essential. Because wherever we were, whether it was at a restaurant, in the car or at someone’s house with little to no toys, or if there was a lot of waiting involved, we always had to be ready. At a moment’s notice we could pull out paper and pencil crayons to keep them busy.
…they’ve kept this great habit or way of keeping themselves busy wherever we go.
Nevertheless, they’ve kept this great habit, aka keeping themselves busy wherever we went. For sure it definitely beat plugging them on a device every time we go somewhere. This way, we had options and using devices was the thing we only pulled out when we’ve exhausted all other options.
Back to our project. Do you know what’s next after all the subcategories of this first basket are done? Congratulations! You all just took care of a big chunk of organizing school supplies. This is huge!
Now is a great place to take a break or stop and change the scene for the kids. So either you pick this project back up again with them later on the same day or wait a day or 2. Either way, it’s perfectly fine to stop.
Just to put into perspective, there are two things to point out here:
Firstly, we’re teaching the kids that when working on a project, it’s OK to take a break – we all need a change in pace and scenery. And secondly, doing things a little at a time, is still progress in the grand scheme of things.
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So maybe this teaching and learning opportunity isn’t’ just for the kids but a great reminder for us adults as well!
After the break:
Alright! So now that I’ve taken you step by step with 1 category and its subcategories, here’s where it get’s awesome. Not only can you apply the SAME strategies and steps for the 2nd basket, but you don’t need to start from Step 1. To demonstrate, let me walk you through the steps again:
- Step 1: General sorting – we did that already, we made 2 baskets: you’re on the 2nd one now.
- Step 2: Sift out what you don’t need – if you see something obvious and within seconds that won’t be reused, get rid of it.
- Step 3: Pick 1 category – in this case you already have it in front of you. It’s the 2nd basket containing the pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, etc. Just so you know, this is where the work starts for basket #2. Next,
- Step 4: Specific sorting – creating sub categories by placing all like-items in their own pile. And finally,
- Step 5: Final sorting – This is where you decide what’s the final destination of each of these item. Will it be the garbage, recycling or to be reused?
Tips and strategies for organizing school supplies
1. How to make this process easier
To save up on time, take up all the space you need. Whether it’s the dining room table or the living room floor. Making piles of each subcategory with enough space in between them gives you a visual structure of what you have to deal with. Albeit, some subcategories will be in a larger, messier pile while others will be smaller and quick to handle. You can start with these as easy, quick wins to build momentum to tackle the larger piles.
2. Make it fun
Undeniably, kids love games and what better one than matching games! So when they start unzipping the pencil cases and Ziploc bags, get them to put all like items together. It will be a quick, and fun, process to go through!
3. Scrap paper isn’t crap paper
Let’s be real, kids go through A LOT of paper and usually, TONS of markers coming back home at the end of the year. So you know your scrap papers? Have the kids test out all the markers and highlighters on the scrap papers. Next, grab 2 sticky notes with one marked ‘Good’ and the other ‘Bad’. After a test run of each marker or highlighter, they can decide under which sticky note that marker should go.
When all the reusable school supplies are put away in the spaces you normally keep them and they’re ready for the next school year, you’re done! You did it!
Indeed, this is one to-do list item you can proudly tick off and not have to think about all summer.
Come next school year, you’ll be READY and be SO THANKFUL for the amazing organizing job that was done EARLY, you got to enjoy your summer!
Now speaking of enjoying, go out and treat yourselves to a well-deserved summer favorite of mine. Ok, it’s definitely an all-year round favorite: ice cream!
Tag me on your Instagram stories of a picture of your ice cream treat so I KNOW you got your school supplies organized. Of course, I would absolutely LOVE to cheer you on for completing this task.
Alright my friend, I hope this mini training helps you get your school supplies organized, your home less cluttered and your mind more at ease. As always, if you know of another parent, or a few of them, who could use some help and guidance in organizing their school supplies in particular, text them the link to this episode. On the other hand, share the link to this episode on social media if you feel more comfortable in doing so. Either way, I’d be forever thankful to you for spreading the word in helping people out.
Nevertheless, thank you for being here and being so awesome. Have a GREAT week, an awesome summer and I’ll see you back here very soon! Bye bye!
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