Help your tween or teen get organized for school with a few simple tips that will make middle school and high school just a bit less stressful.
Disclosure: This blog contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, Keri Houchin earns a commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Whether your child is just starting middle school or is almost ready to graduate, keeping up with all the homework, projects, after-school activities, and other responsibilities can be a challenge. A little guidance can go a long way to helping them start the year on the right foot.
When my oldest child graduated from elementary to middle school in the 6th grade, it was a completely new game. Suddenly teachers expected the students to be organized all on their own. There were no notes home to parents, no folders or planners to sign each week, and an even bigger homework load.
Organizing is tough for kids – and plenty of adults too. After all those elementary years with lots of help and supervision, middle school can feel like a lot of work. Here are ten things that we did together to get organized.
Teen organization tips for school
1. Do a back-to-school purge.
If your kids are like mine, their rooms have more or less disappeared under a giant pile of stuff over the summer. Encourage them to start off organized by cleaning up. Get rid of clutter and trash. Donate clothes and toys that they’ve outgrown.
Don’t forget to go through other areas of the house. Check the kitchen for lunch box essentials. Organize the entryway and set up a command center.
2. Designate a homework space.
If your child has done homework at the dining table through elementary, now is the time to put a desk in their bedroom if you have space. Keep it small so it doesn’t become a landing pad for everything under the sun.
3. Shop for supplies together.
Your child may or may not still have a school supplies list. Either way, use whatever flexibility you have to let them pick supplies that are fun. Your teen isn’t going to keep up with or use stuff they don’t like.
4. Stock up on extras.
Make sure you buy some extra basic supplies like pencils and notebook paper so that they don’t need to drag everything home from school daily. You might also want to take advantage of back-to-school sales to get things you know your child will need later on in the school year, like index cards.
5. Invest in a good quality backpack.
My kids’ backpacks are both a giant bottomless pit. They don’t always have a locker, so carrying everything is essential. When we went with a cheap bag, it bag ripped before the school year was out. The next year I bought a stylish but sturdy rolling backpack. Do check with your school, though, because some don’t allow rolling backpacks.
6. Keep a family calendar.
My mantra has become “If it’s not on the family calendar, it’s not happening.” I hung a calendar on the wall by the front door. Everyone writes their events, meetings, etc. on the calendar in their specific color so anyone can see at a glance what is coming up.
7. Do a closet makeover.
My kids will still wear uniforms through middle school but have a more flexible dress code in high school. I’m working on teaching them how to identify what’s too small, has too many holes, or doesn’t fit anymore.
A few simple organization tools like over-the-door organizers and wall hooks will keep some of the clothes off the floor.
8. Get a full-length mirror.
This goes along with the closet makeover, but if your house doesn’t have a full-length mirror somewhere, pick up an inexpensive over-the-door mirror. It can go in the closet, a shared bathroom, or wherever. This is a handy way for everyone to make sure their appearance is neat and organized.
9. Don’t ditch the checklists, yet.
My kids get really annoyed that I still ask them whether they’ve brushed their teeth and put on deodorant. Very often, though, the answer is no. Use whatever method works best to remind your teen about the hygiene tasks they need to do daily.
A plastic shower tote with all the essential hygiene products is handy, especially if you have more than one teen.
10. Get a student planner.
There are a lot of options for student planners out there, so it might take some trial-and-error before you find one that your teen will actually use. I made a simple one for teaching my kids how to keep up with schedules, homework, and projects. Learning to plan ahead is hard.
Getting organized for school isn’t a one-and-done kind of thing. It takes some practice for them to learn the right skills and reminders here and there are still important. And since my kids are at the young end of the teen category, I’m sure it will take some time for me to learn a few things too.
Check out some other fun and creative ideas on One Mama’s Daily Drama:
Thanks so much! I printed this for my granddaughter who is starting high school in a couple of weeks. Her mom has her hands full with being a single mom to three kids and working full time so I’m trying to help out a little.
You’re welcome, Sandi! I hope your granddaughter enjoys the planner.
I will let you know how this works. My son is 15 and my daughter is 17. My daughter does everything on her own. She is self-motivated. My son just wants to watch Youtube and play video games. He accused me of snooping when I pulled his progress report out of his backpack. Like I am supposed to let him get d’s and f’s. So now I have a plan and schedule.
Thank you.
It is definitely a challenge that we work on regularly at my house. My son is 11, so when he gets a bad grade and I ground him from electronics for a weekend, he does listen. I’m not looking forward to when he is older and ignores me! My hope is that by doing these things regularly, they will learn the good habits, even if they don’t always stick to them.
My son is 12 and I do the same with him. We have an app that automatically restricts screen time (Microsoft Family for XBox) so even when he gets bigger and doesnt want to listen, we still have control! We have it set so that when he gets in from school he has to do his homework, then he calls us to let us know that it is done and then we raise the restriction so he can game. I check it all when I get home from work and if its not done correctly/rushed etc we put the restrictions back for an hour. He learnt very quickly on that its best just to get it done to the best of his ability! We also have a restriction for the wifi in the house so he cannot watch Youtube on his phone (which is one of his favourite things to do).
Hi Emma,
What’s the name of the app you use to restrict access?
Hi Valinda! Microsoft Family isn’t an app, it’s specific setting for your PC and Xbox tied to your accounts. You can set it up here: https://account.microsoft.com/family/about.