Three Steps to Get Organized for the School Year

Three Steps to Get Organized for the School Year

Getting ready for a successful school year in Massachusetts doesn’t have to be hard if you follow these three steps to get organized for the school year. At Organizing Boston, we work with families and children to help them get and stay organized throughout the school year.

Step 1: Make Space – Go through your children’s clothes and extra-curricular gear and purge anything they’ve outgrown. Donate what you can and replace only what your child needs this season. Next, go through schoolwork, art projects and papers from the previous year and clear out anything that is no longer needed or wanted. Put items to save in a labeled bin. Or to save even more space try storing them digitally by scanning or taking photos of papers and projects you want to keep.

Step 2: Create a Family Command Center – A Family Command Center is a centralized place where all the things your family needs to stay organized reside. The best locations for a Family Command Center are in the kitchen where everyone gathers, or in the foyer/entryway where everyone passes through. Essential items for this space are a clock, a calendar, bins or wall files to organize papers, and wall hooks for bookbags. Consider adding a magnetic white board as it is a great way to combine the uses of the cork board with a white board. You can use the magnets to hold appointment cards, tickets and museum passes, and the white board is a great place to write a note, a to-do list or a simple reminder. You will also need space to store office supplies such as pens, tape, paper clips,stapler, scissors, and envelopes. Having everything in one centralized place will make it easier for the whole family to stay organized!

Step 3: Add Labels – A label on something makes it stick. Once a bin has a label that says “HOMEWORK” or a cubby is labeled “SPORTS GEAR,” those become the official homes for those items. If school and activity supplies have labeled homes, there’s a much better chance everyone can find what they need, when they need it!  Since kids love color, consider using colors when creating their organizing systems! Color-coded storage areas, drawers, and other containers are a creative way of “labeling” your kid’s storage system.