Activities to Encourage Kids to Stay Organized in School

Dry Erase Board Tasks

• For a younger child, begin by putting up a dry erase board in their room. Each day, draw pictures for the various tasks he must complete for school. For example, draw a piece of paper with an "H" on it for homework, an apple for packing his lunch and a pair of shoes to set out his clothes for the next day. If he has any special projects, come up with a symbol, like Super "P."

  At the beginning of the year, allow him to erase or check off each item completed for school. As the year progresses, have him draw his own pictures for each task to complete. This will teach him early skills in categorizing and organizing his daily tasks in a tangible way instead of trying to remember them off the top of his head, which may result in forgotten homework.

Color Coding

• Colors are an easy way to help you remember things, regardless of your age. To help with school organization, allow your child to select one color per subject before the school year begins. For example, math is red, science is green, English yellow and history blue. Then, take her to a school supply store to select folders, pencils and notebooks in each color. Allow her to label the notebooks and folders with the name of each subject.

  Then, throughout the year, each folder and notebook may only be used for its selected subject. This way, she can easily pick out the appropriate notebook from her book bag instead of digging through everything to try and find her homework assignments, which will save time and reduce stress. This way, she will have more time to play with friends or do fun activities, which is motivation to stay organized all year.

Timed Scavenger Hunt

• A great way to see how organized your child is for school is to play a quick scavenger hunt game at the end of every week. Ask him to bring his backpack to the kitchen table and then set a timer for one minute. Then, ask him to find his English notebook in his bag. After he successfully pulls it out and sets it on the table, move on to his pencil case, science book and protractor.

  Once the timer buzzes, reward him with five extra minutes of TV time for each item he successfully pulls out of his bag. Or, allow him to "save" his minutes and when he reaches 60 minutes, he gets a special treat, like going to a movie or out to his favorite restaurant.