Home School Organization: Keep It REALLY Simple
Last week, we gave a few ideas for creating order to avoid home school chaos. This week, we’re expanding on our easiest idea in that blog to keep it REALLY simple this year. While most of you are already set-up for school, read-on because as the year progresses, you might want to switch over to this idea.
Life is sometimes hard. In 2020, this is true more than other years for so many in different ways, levels and degrees. Therefore, no matter who you are, why make home schooling or hybrid homeschooling tougher than it needs to be? Hence, we recommended our simplest solution last week to keep individual home school supplies in your child’s backpack.
Here’s Why:
First, learning how a new habit is hard even for adults, let alone kids. According to a 2009 study in the European Journal of Social Psychology it takes on average 66 days to learn a new habit but actually anywhere between 18-254 days. At PixiesDidIt, we recommend going with what is easy whenever it’s practicable. People gravitate toward easy, especially when we’re tired. What’s easier than continuing a habit that most kids know already, a backpack?
Second, unless you’re planning to homeschool permanently, why have your child learn a new habit, an entire new system, for only one year? That is hard. Why doing something hard only for them to have to relearn the backpack routine next year? Furthermore, some folks are in a hybrid school model this year where a backpack will be necessary. Our advice is truly about maintaining like systems for ease with executive functioning skills. This way kids have an easier time focusing on school and not organization. Keep it REALLY simple and kids will not waste time on trying to find something.
Third, backpacks often come with built-in organization. They usually have delineation when you unzip them. Many brands have specific places for every conceivable school supply. Some even have device chargers built-into them these days. As we always say, “Don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to!”
Fourth, the backpacks are easy to stash away on a hook behind closed doors at the weekend or day’s end. This way your entire home doesn’t have to become the one room, little, red, school house all year long. You can still be you which in a pandemic goes along way toward mental health — at least for us it does!
Keep It Incredibly Simple
We know there is a pandemic going on and even in regular years there are some germaphobes that might be concerned about school backpacks being used at home. If you’re concerned about germs, keep two backpacks that mirror each other this year. Also, buy two of the same supplies for everything. Depending on your organizing personality type, go through the backpack weekly or when it gets full to get rid of excess papers or assignments. We recommend having a cubby system for kids at home as a permanent organizing tool. If you have this then you can quickly dump the excess papers in there to deal with in a once or twice a year cubby/inbox sort. That is unless you’ve got the time to sift through them first. Personally, I never do so I go through my kids’ inboxes twice a year when they’re overflowing.
Finally, use your extra energy for more fun and permanent decor/organizing projects. For example, create a beautiful, inviting reading nook or a better space to do homework. We will expand on our idea next week. As always, if you need any help, we’re available for virtual organizing services!