Keeping your students organized is a big part of helping them succeed. There are many benefits that come with staying organized, including improved time management, creativity, academic performance, and even mental health. Here’s how to equip your students with the tools they need to stay organized at school and at home.
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Equip your students with a solution to organize their school materials
Teachers love Seat Sack®. The instant chair pocket storage system is designed for students and teachers alike to stay organized by providing a place to easily store books, papers, school supplies, and so much more! By sliding it on the back of their chairs, Seat Sack saves space and creates an instant pocket for storing school materials. Students have easy access to materials right at their seat. Seat Sacks also help to create more desk or table space where students can quickly locate their items.
Model how students can organize school materials
Whether they want to organize their school supplies by color, size, or subject, show them all the ways they can stay organized so they can find the system that best works for them. Use color-coded folders, labeled binders, and designated spots for each item. Create a visual guide or chart showing an example of a well-organized desk and Seat Sack. Walk students through organizing their materials; for example, demonstrate sorting papers into folders, arranging books by size or subject, and using pencil pouches for writing instruments.
Practice putting materials away
Break it down into easy steps. Using your visual example, remind your students what makes a tidy desk. Then, have students verbally walk through putting materials away. Finally, since students learn by doing, take time to practice how their school materials should be put away. You can make this fun in a variety of ways, like playing a 2-minute song they enjoy and telling them their desks should be organized by the end or making up a rhyme to recite while putting supplies away.
Provide clean space incentives
Students respond well to incentives. When students keep their spaces clean, they can collect points to redeem for fun prizes like scented markers, modeling clay, and more! You can even up the stakes by making it a collective effort—if everyone’s desks stay organized for a determined amount of time, they’ll earn a pizza party or movie day!
Use a daily organization checklist
Make a checklist for your students to follow as they come into the classroom. Before class starts, take a walk around the room to make sure students are organized as they should be. When you sign off on their checklist, they’re ready to start the day!
I use small plastic baskets that fit right into students’ desks for pencils, erasers, glue sticks, scissors, highlighters, and crayons. This way they don’t get shoved to the back of their desk or constantly falling out onto the floor.