How to organize kids’ school paperwork
Every school day brings the same scenario: the kids come home with a stack of school paperwork: notifications, permission slips, awards, art projects — the pile just keeps on growing.
So what’s a mom to do? Here are some tips to help you manage and organize your kids’ school paperwork.
Create an organization station
Create a space where your kids can organize their school paperwork for you to review. This could be as simple as a designated spot on the dining room table or a wall-mounted file organizer near the front door.
Your kids should remove all the paperwork they received that day from their backpacks as soon as they get home and put it in the appropriate place. When you have time, you’ll be able to simply go to the “organization station” and review each piece of paper.
Tackle it right away
As soon as it’s in your hands, sort the paperwork into 3 piles:
- Needs a signature or other action
- Keep for sentimental value
- Recycle or throw away
For paperwork that needs a signature, sign it right away and return it to your child. Done!
Display the art treasures
For sentimental items, pick your favorites and display them on the refrigerator door. Only display one thing for each child at a time so your fridge doesn’t become too cluttered. It’s OK to throw away art projects you don’t want to keep forever. Save only a few favorites.
Or, create an art wall where you stick lots of fun art projects on the wall with painters’ tape. Once the space is full, take a photos of the whole exhibit. Then take everything down and start another collection on the wall.
For all other papers, make sure your recycle bin, shredder or trashcan is nearby so you can immediately get rid of the items that don’t need to be saved.
The key is to stay on top of the school paperwork every day so it doesn’t build up and become a chaotic mess. Schedule a few minutes every afternoon when your kids come home from school, including Friday. Believe me, handling small to-dos on Friday can save you a lot of time and stress as you’re trying to get the kids out the door on Monday morning.
Is it hard for you to throw away kids’ artwork?
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