Can you believe summer break is over and back to school season is in full force?

Putting some organization in place helps make the transition easier. This year, I was really excited to refresh my kids’ homework station and set up a few systems to manage the daily flow of school papers.
Even if your kids have already started school be sure to read along for 3 easy systems you can implement to make things run smoother in your home.

1. DESIGNATE A STUDY ZONE 

About 8 years ago, I transformed this china cabinet into a more modern piece by removing the glass doors, beefing up the shelves, and painting it white. Last year I converted it into our study area cabinet and it has worked well for us.

To get ready for this school year I de-cluttered anything old or broken, replenished our supplies and rearranged things to make them more accessible for my 1st and 6th grader.

I contained the flashcards into a container to keep them all in one place.

I sorted stickers and smaller school supplies into these little drawer organizers.

Their dictionary and thesaurus are sitting next to their writing, crosswords, coloring, math, and other activity books where I organized them into these IKEA magazine holders.

My favorite part is the green silverware caddie I re-purposed for their colored markers.

Everything is accessible and labeled.

2. DESIGNATE A LOCATION TO DISPLAY YOUR CHILD’S ARTWORK AND POST TEACHER COMMUNICATION.

Celebrate your child’s creativity by adding a place where they can display it.

Follow up by showing them limits by switching out their artwork.

We always keep their new favorites in memory boxes.

But keep in mind that our perspectives are always changing…The way we felt about something a month ago is not the way we feel about it today.

At the end of the school year review their progress and they will be able to only keep their best and absolute favorite work.

I also added an additional cork board to put up the teacher’s progress reports and things teachers have indicated my children need extra support on, like spelling, AR reading, sight words or math facts.

Now, when my son says he has no homework or is done early we know just what to work on.

3. CREATE A COMMAND CENTER WITH A MOMMY INBOX

I created my command center to help us exit and get to school in one piece. Our command center includes:

• Hooks for backpacks
• A bench to put on their shoes.
• A calendar to help me stay on top of school activities
• A corkboard for flyers, library hours, free museum days and emergency phone numbers
• Lastly, a mommy inbox, for my kids to put papers I need to look at.

This mommy inbox is a new feature I decided to implement.

As a business owner with so many to-dos, I needed a system to help keep me on top of my children’s paperwork.

Specifically, the items that needed to go back and forth between school and home.

Paper is a source of overwhelm for many. Especially with busy schedules, important notices get lost in piles because you can’t always look at them right away.

Now, my children put papers they need me to look at right in the inbox.

Then, I either (1) post activity flyers onto my command center corkboard, (2) add dates into my calendar, (3) recycle paperwork we don’t need or (4) I sign and give back to the kids to return to school.

It will be a great visual reminder to make sure I send them back with the necessary forms and stay in control of all the school papers.

There you have it, an organized homework station with a paper management system! A definite sanity saver all parents should set up.

What do you do to manage all the school paperwork?