42 Ways to Help Students Stay Organized at School

1. 1. Develop routines and stick to them. Morning routines can involve unpacking a backpack, planning homework into correct bins, putting away items needed for the day, sitting at the desk, and starting on morning work.  Maintain a consistent routine. Develop routines for different parts of the student’s day.  Social stories, picture schedules, story stones, and physical routing minders can help.
   2. Use a simple Schoolwork Folder system. Create a system for paperwork that needs to come back to school and what can stay at home.  A simple 2 pocket folders
      works best for this.  Adding extra pages or parts to the folder creates too much visual input.  Add a bright sticker to one pocket for “Keep at Home” and a bright sticker for the pocket to “Bring Back”.  A plastic folder is more durable. Older students can use color coded folders for each subject.
   3. Clear document folders in different colors can be used to coordinate with each subject’s color.
   4. Create a checklist to help students stay organized.
   5. Use checklists. Make checklists that the student can mark off tasks as they are completed. Using a checklist is a great way to incorporate handwriting skills into the routine.  Marking a check mark or “x” in a small box allows for precision of motor movements.
   6. Homework assignments should be written in the same place on the blackboard each day.
   7. Allow time at the beginning of the class or day instead of at the end to write down that day’s homework.  
   8. Teachers can sign off in an assignment book after the student writes down the day’s homework.  Provide a space for parent sign-off after homework has been completed.
   9. Parents can be provided with a small list of students in the class that can help with homework assignment questions.  These students or parents can be called if there are questions about assignments.
   10. Mailed homework. The parents would need to provide a self-addressed, stamped envelope and the teacher can mail the next few week’s homework assignments.
   11. Use a monthly calendar to keep track of long-term assignments and weekly classes like gym or library.
   12. Break long term projects into smaller tasks with deadlines.
   13. Email parent permission slips.
   14. Breakdown worksheets by folding the paper into sections that can be completed before moving on to the next section.
   15. Provide concise and concrete directions.
   16. Turn in completed assignments immediately and provide a space for completed work with clear label. A bin, file, or tray works nicely for this.
   17. Mark pages in a book or workbook with a paperclip so that the student can turn to the correct page more easily and quickly.
   18. Use a digital clock in the classroom or timers for competing tasks.
   19. Provide a small movement break between tasks.
   20. Allow for self-monitoring of systems.
   21. Provide tools for fidgeting.
   22. Try using an Impulse Control Journal.

Organization Tips for the locker

Another aspect is a messy locker. You’ve probably seen the locker stuffed full of papers from the beginning of the school year. How can the student find a homework assignment in that mess of old papers, torn folders, dirty gym clothes…

These organization strategies can help keep the locker organized:

1. Create a container system for lockers. Use one container for hat, gloves, scarf, and one container for books.  The container can be emptied into the backpack at the end of the day.  Add pictures to the locker for a visual cue for where the coat, lunchbox, and backpack should hang. Add shelves if needed.
2. Picture Symbols. A visual cue is a great way to break down tasks.  Create a series of pictures for desk morning tasks, lunch tasks, or end-of-the-day tasks. Pictures can be printed off in a strip and the strips replaced as the day goes by.
3. Use a second set of textbooks at home to eliminate the need to bring books back and forth between school and home.
4. Place a checklist of what needs to be brought home each day in the locker or in the desk.

How to help students keep their desk organized

A huge aspect of disorganization for students is the desk. It becomes a catch all that is stuffed with papers. Did you ever experience a teacher that dumped a student’s desk over in anger? Unfortunately, my daughter’s second grade teacher did just that for students in her classroom. Then, the student had to miss recess in order to clean up the mess. While the desk was very disorganized and the students couldn’t find their missing assignments or books, it is a really cruel way to teach organization skills. This aspect of executive functioning actually doesn’t develop for many years, so experiencing this kind of treatment in front of a whole classroom of peers probably isn’t the best way to teach skills…

Here are some actionable and practical ways to help students keep their desk tidy and organized (without needing to dump the desk in the middle of class):

1. Eliminate dropping of the pencil.  Students with organizational problems often times have difficulty with fidgeting, sensory issues, fine motor skills, attention…(all of the items described in the list above!) Dropping the pencil can create a break in attention that allows for further disorganization.  Tie the pencil to the desk to prevent dropping: Tie a string to the eraser end of the pencil and tie the end of the string to a suction cup. Attach the suction cup to the desk surface.
2. Reward systems. Set up an incentive or reward system for appropriate organization of folders, backpack, locker, or homework completion.  These can be tailored to the student’s interests.
3. Color code notebooks, folders, book covers, and workbooks.  Books and notebooks can use prefabricated book covers or you can use colored paper to create book covers in a variety of colors. Add a small colored dot on homework assignments that correspond with the color of the subject’s book.  Use markers or small stickers
   to color code homework.
4. Use a zippered pouch for pencils, erasers, calculators, etc in the backpack.  This will reduce the items “floating around” in the backpack.
5. Develop a written contract of organization tasks with the student, teacher, and parent, along with choices for the student.
6. Clear plastic, gallon-sized bags in the backpack to hold items like gloves, gym clothes, etc.
7. Reduce distractions in the classroom to prevent distractibility: place desk away from windows, doors, and the pencil sharpener.
8. Use a classroom peer as an organizing mentor.
9. Provide a daily class checklist.
10. Help the student clear their desk of all items except the items they should be using. Work on getting the student to be independent in this task by using visual and verbal cues. Provide a 10 second “Clear Off” time before starting a new task to allow time for the student to clear his work space.
11. Mark off spaces inside the desk for items like books and pencil box using masking tape.  The items should be “parked” in their correct space unless they are being used.
12. Provide a low cardboard box inside desks with compartments for organizing supplies.
13. Provide a clear plastic bin or shelf for the student’s items instead of using a desk or locker.
14. Use a triangular pencil grip to keep pencils from rolling off desks.
15. Provide velcro for students to attach their pencil to the desk surface or inside the desk.
16. Try an eraser ring to prevent losing large erasers inside desks.
17. Use a Kneadable Eraser. It can be stuck inside the desk when not in use and makes a great fidget toy.
18. Conduct daily, weekly, and monthly clean-ups of desk, locker, and backpack.
19. At the end of the day, help the student prepare his work space for the next day.