Getting Kids Organized Shouldn’t Be Hard

Dear K & K: My son is always forgetting his homework or losing permission slips. He has a backpack and a desk in his bedroom but he never uses it. I want him to have a good start to this school year but already we’ve had a few slip-ups. Any tips on helping kids better organize their homework? Signed: Frustrated in Florida.

Dear Frustrated: Getting your kids to be organized seems like some gargantuan, impossible task. It shouldn’t be. Often, the problem is kids don’t know where to put things at home because things are often more amorphous there than at school. They need an Inbox for papers. Frankly, everybody in the house needs one. See-through is always better for kids. If you’re a Classic or a Fun and this visual clutter bothers you, hide them on the inside of a closet door.

The second thing that will be a game changer is making sure your son’s Inbox is incredibly close to where he drops his backpack etc when he comes in the door. The problem with making the desk in the bedroom into his “dumping ground” is that even grown-ups have a hard time transferring incoming papers into their desk area when they get home. For kids, it’s darn near impossible.

Finally, give your son a simple daily routine. For example, when he gets home, he needs to go through his backpack to grab his homework AND when he does so should drop in your Inbox any permission slips or school memos etc. The first few times, you will need to remind him and some personality types will need a reminder which you can set on your phone to make YOUR life easier. Hope that helps! Katie & Kelly