Parents Share: Best Organizational Gadgets and Tricks
ADDitude asked: What strategy, tool, or quick tip keeps your child organized at school?
> I am the one who keeps him organized at school. The school gives us no assistance. We also use a family calendar on our iPhones, so my son knows what is going on at all times. -Amanda Bolt, Perth, Western Australia
> We empty his backpack daily to clean out the garbage and find important papers and homework. He “cleans” his desk each day and brings it all home in his backpack for us to tackle. -An ADDitude Reader
> My nine-year-old’s school bag has compartments that make it easier for her to return things to their proper places. She also has separate plastic envelopes that she can remove from the bag, take inside the classroom, and bring home. -An ADDitude Reader
> We use a planner, which is part of his accommodations. We skip teacher websites, which are written in hieroglyphics. -Cheryl P., Pleasanton, California
> We use a family calendar and have a family meeting on Sunday night to discuss what’s coming up during the next week. -Dave, Louisiana
[Free Download: Solving Disorganization at School]
> We hung up a locker map on the inside of his locker door. The map is a picture of what the organized locker looks like and where everything should go. This is a wonderful tool. -Diane, Weston, Wisconsin
> What keeps our child organized at school is an au pair we hired, sticky notes, reminders in the morning (a checklist), and writing homework assignments down in his homework book. -Silezia Pretorius, Fairland, Randburg, South Africa
> We color-code each subject. We have the same-colored notebook, folder, pen, pouch, and large envelope for handouts for each subject. We also use highlighters, which focus our daughter’s attention on the subject. -Wendy, New Mexico
> I attached a “before you go home to-do list” tag to my daughter’s school bag. When she picks her bag up at the end of the day, she looks at her checklist: homework book, reading book, eyeglasses, iPad, and so on. -Ingrid Schonborn, Auckland, New Zealand
> The best trick we used in junior high was having our daughter keep all her folders, notebooks, and books in her backpack. She took everything home and back to school every day. She never forgot anything. -Shelly Dubinski, Amherst, Massachusetts
