Papers, Papers Everywhere, But Not the One You Need

How do you keep your kids’ school papers neat? Do you have a system? Perhaps you have a box? Or maybe they keep track of their own school papers? At any rate, I hear from a lot of families that keeping school paperwork organized can be a big headache. I hope that by using one of my favorite simple organizational tools, your family will feel more prepared and ready for the rest of the school year. Grab a cup of coffee, and join me as we dive in!

Remember back when you were in school, and you had a 3-ring binder with dividers in it? Was it neat and organized, or a mess? Did the papers stay in, or fall right out? Well, I’ll tell you that mine was…a MESS! Yep. I was the kid who pulled her binder out and had stuff falling all over. At least it was like that until I got into high school. It was then that I realized the binder was a much more useful tool to me when I put the papers and handouts in the sections where they belonged. My realization came about like this: I have a very organized friend who I have known for a really long time. I noticed in class that she always had everything she needed, could find her homework, and never seemed to lose anything important. I also noticed that her 3-ring binder was perfectly organized, and looked very different than mine. I took some pointers from her and never looked back.

Fast forward a bit to my days of classroom teaching. I took time at the beginning of every school year to have the students set up and organize their binders exactly the same way I had learned from my childhood friend. (Fun fact–she is probably reading this right now, since we are still great friends.) Back to my classroom. Every few months, I would have my students go through their binders again, organizing everything to be the way it was supposed to be. This became habit for them and by the end of the year, a high percentage of the students had learned to keep their binders neat on their own. I knew I had set them up for success when they went on to high school and college, and I felt really good about that!

When we decided to homeschool our own kids, I knew from the start that they, too, would be learning how to keep a binder properly. It has really made a difference in our success, since they can (almost) always find any page we might need to review, revisit, or reuse. Here is the system I use to keep us functioning smoothly. I hope it gives you some ideas that will help you, too!

• Purchase one 2-3″ binder for each student.
• I highly recommend the type that has a zippered cover. These are the only ones I use for our kids, as they can last several years each.
• Make sure to add subject dividers that are clearly marked. I like to use a permanent marker and write in all capital letters to write each individual subject name.
• Every time your child has a loose paper, oversee him/her placing it into the correct section. This can feel tedious at first, but is only necessary until a positive habit is formed. A habit is formed after at least 30 repetitions, but can require more if the student is young or just needs more parent involvement. 
• Be patient with your children as they are learning this new skill. It may seem straightforward to you as an adult, but acquiring new skills is challenging and difficult, especially when the purpose of doing so might not be what your child holds valuable at the moment.
• In the beginning, plan to check and reorganize the binder (together with your child) once each week. I know that this takes a lot of extra time and effort, but don’t worry! This will soon only be needed once per month, and then only a few times per school year. 
• Repeat this process each school year, and you will have a great way to keep track of all the work your children have completed, should you ever need to reference it or find a work sample for any reason.

Learning to keep a binder is also an exercise in individual resourcefulness and self-discipline. As kids understand that they have control of small areas of their life, like their binder, they begin to develop a sense of accomplishment and responsibility that will take them far. The 3-ring binder is so much more than just a school tool…it’s a life tool they can translate to many things they will do as they grow older. Managing current school work loads on their own, first jobs, university work, and even their future career will all utilize the skills they learned by keeping their binder. Doesn’t it feel great that we have a tangible way to help them get a good start on these big tasks now?

As I sit here sipping my coffee, I am so thankful to my organized friend for her example. Making sure the kids have neat binders has been an awesome way to enrich our homeschool experience. I hope that this great organizational tool will bring some peace and joy to your homeschool life, too.