Classroom Organization

Are you an organizer by heart or does the term ORGANIZE make you twitch? Well either way, organization can help keep teachers one step ahead of the students so let's see what we can do to make our school year run just a little smoother!




Have curriculum prepped and ready to go ahead of time.

I try to make it a point to prep as much as I can in the summer and organize it in a way to make it easy to find when I need it! Parent volunteers can also be a great resource to help you prep materials ahead of time and stay at home parents love the option of prepping from home for the classroom too.  The 12x12 bins are ideal for centers and games that I can pull in a moments notice like Math Activities for the Year.


Organize your classroom supplies.

I print labels with matching pictures to that not only does each material have a home, but my youngest learners can identify what is on the label for easy clean up! Pocket Labels are my go to and I stock up as soon as I see the clear, plastic, adhesive pockets at Target!



Teach your students how to stay organized.

Our students  already know that all the classroom supplies have a place to be stored, so why not teach them how to store their own belongings?  At the beginning of every year, I use Picture Name Tags so every student is given a picture symbol that is associated with his/her name throughout the classroom.  You can read more about Picture Name Tags HERE. This is a quick and easy way to take the guess work out of "Where do I put my ....".




Keep Families Informed

There are so many options we have with keeping parents informed.  There are monthly newsletters, weekly newsletters, school wide agendas and even online apps such as Class Dojo.  I use A Peek at My Week half page newsletters along with Class Dojo for daily messages/pictures. There are so many ways to Make Meaning Connections with parents and the children are the ones who are the winners here!





Utilize a Planner

Teacher planners are amazing and can help keep you organized in a BIG way!  I use my planner for yearly planning, monthly calendars, weekly lesson plans, to do lists, student checklists, grades and the list goes on and on!  The key is TO USE IT! Summer is the perfect time to find a planner that works for you and set it up so you are organized and ready to go from day one of planning!




All you have to do is enter the Rafflecoptor below for a chance to win the Erin Condren Planner pictured above!    The planner even comes with an interchangable cover!!