By Nikki Kinzer
As we settle into the new school year, one of the biggest clutter complaints I see is how to organize all of the daily paper. School paper ranges from homework to art projects and everything in between like lunch menus, permission slips, newsletters, the list goes on.
If you are starting to see the pile up, do not fear… there are solutions to take back control!
The key to success is developing a solid paper management system!
Use the following steps to start building your own paper management system:
Collect
Children come home with stuffed backpacks everyday, get them in the habit of emptying their backpacks in the same place. Have your children take out their homework and other important papers from the school and place it all in one central location. Think of it as an inbox, you could use a basket or a bin.
Sort
It’s important to separate what paper is homework, what is reference material and what paper needs to have some action around it. Separate the homework from the rest and give this to your children to complete. Next you want to separate the action from the reference paper.
*Note: Because of time sensitivity for homework and other important papers, I recommend you go through your inbox DAILY.
Action Paper
It’s best to have the action paper taken care of right away or be placed in a spot where you will not forget it. You could use a bulletin board or a designated file that is only used for this kind of paper. If it’s something you need to sign, do it right then, and place it back in your child’s backpack. If it’s a date you must remember, put it in the calendar right away.
Reference Paper
Reference papers do not have any kind of action needed. Reference paper is the class list, yearly school calendars, student handbook, progress reports, etc. One recommendation for storing reference paper is storing it in it’s own binder. This binder is specific to school information and you could separate the tabs by each child in the family. If the binder is big enough, you could use extra tabs for information on sports and other after school activities. Another option is having a specific file labeled as School or by the child’s name. There are actually a lot of ways to do this; the point is to have one place for the paper to go, so when you need it, you know where to find it.
Completed Homework / Artwork
The younger the child, the more artwork comes home! For some of us, it’s really difficult to decide what to keep and what to recycle. For the really special assignments and artwork, pick a place in your home where you can display it. Give the displayed work some time to enjoy the spot light, and then rotate it out with more recent work. Only keep the very best and most sentimental pieces of work. Take a picture of the work with your child instead of feeling like you actually have to keep the paper itself. For those really special pieces have a memorabilia box available for each child. Again, the point is to have a place for the paper to go rather than on countertops and desks!
Happy Organizing!
