Back to School Organization

 

School starts in a little over two weeks for my baby girl.  She is going into the third grade and it feels like yesterday that we were preparing for Pre-K {sniff}.  We have been in full back to school mode at our house this week, and I am determined to stay one step ahead of things this year {this would be a first!}… I wanted to share some of our favorite back to school organization tricks.

I know that many of you are doing the back to school preparations right about now as well, so I wanted to share just a few of some of my favorite ideas for kids to help with going back to school and getting organized.   I would love it if you guys added some of your favorite tips in the comment section too so we can get as many ideas as possible!

So let’s jump right in!

Organizing School Papers and Art

One of the biggest organizational problems we have throughout the school year are the mounds of school papers, art work and keepsakes that accumulate.   I love to save my daughter’s art work, certificates, awards and keepsakes, so this year I made these poster board storage portfolio/folders.  The easy large folders not only give us a spot to quickly place these papers, but it will help us to store them for years to come:

 

 

I just took a poster board and folded it in half and stapled the edges.  I then printed out fun labels and placed on each portfolio/folder.  With small velcro fasteners/round circles, I attached the portfolios to the inside of our junk closet door so all we have to do is open the door and slide the papers in the right portfolio:

 

 

At the end of the school year, we will take the full portfolios off of the door and stack all them together and then tie with a ribbon and then store it.  I have put the school year on the labels as well, which will help down the line:

 

 

If you would like to do this project and would like to print the labels that I have made, all you have to do is click on the blue text below the label picture that says “printable label download” and it will take you to the file.  You can print on 8.5 x 11 label paper or plain paper and cut and tape the labels.  I created a blank label as well for you to add your own text:

 

Printable Label Download

 

 Bento Box Containers/Lunch Box 

 

I’m obsessed with these adorable bento box lunch boxes from Pottery Barn Kids.  My daughter loves bento boxes when we go out for sushi and not only is this a good way to organize lunches but its fun for the kids!  I love that you can just throw it in the dishwasher too!  If you’re looking for a unique lunch box idea, I think this is a fantastic idea!

Homework/ Chore Charts {Free Printable}

 

I was looking for a homework/chore chart that I could laminate and place on the fridge to organize our tasks.  I was so excited when I found this fun chart from Bekah with the great blog Pinch A Little Save-A-Lot .  You can use this free printable to write in whatever you want to keep track of for the week.  I wanted something that I could combine homework and chores that could help us organize our busy week and this will be perfect!

If you want to print the chart, you can go to Bekah’s website here to download and print the chart.  Thanks so much Bekah!

Desk Organization 

 

Keeping desk areas organized is another big challenge for us!  I LOVE these cool metal desk organizers from Land of Nod and I think they’re designed in a way that is so practical and realistic for keeping things in order!  I especially love the big wall organizer that would help to get the little things off of the desk and onto the wall, creating additional an additional storage area!  They come in several different colors too!

You can see all of the options at Land of Nod here.

Kid’s Labels and Tags {Free Printable}

 

Labeling kid’s bags and other items is really easy with these free printable cards that I made and posted a couple weeks ago.  You can use these cards as labels or add your child’s name and laminate and turn into fun bag tags.  These are also great to print out on card stock and keep on hand for cards for birthdays!  There are so many uses and possibilities and you can go to the post and the printable here.

Lastly, it’s not an organizational idea but I wanted to share this adorable idea for giving flowers to a teacher from the fun blog One Charming Party.  I just fell in love with it and I think it would be a great way to say thank you or to start the first day of school for child’s teacher:

 

 

I hope that there is an idea here that you can use to help with getting organized as your child goes back to school.   If you’re looking for more organizing ideas, you can check out my “Organize” Pinterest board found here. I have a great collection of some really fantastic ideas that I found online.

Thanks for hanging out with me today for Friday Favorites and if you happened to miss last week’s Friday Favorites “Favorite Painting Tips”, you can check it out by clicking the image below:

 

 

In the next couple of weeks, I’m going to be starting some new weekly features on The Creativity Exchange Facebook page.  I regularly share inspiration and decorating/paints tips, not too mention some great conversations and I would love it if you joined us!

Cheers!
Cyndy