Create a Spot Specifically for the Kids' School Supplies in Your Home  

Is your home filled with the familiar questions “mom where is my homework?” or “mom where is my backpack?” It’s probably because it’s pretty chaotic around the house when your kids get home from school. Books, bags, shoes and sporting equipment get dumped here and there. The easiest solution is to create an area that is specifically used for a homework area.

If you have an extra bedroom this will work perfectly. Purchase a desk, or a student desk (sometimes you can even find a school or somewhere giving away old desks and you won’t have to purchase one) and put it in there. Next you will want to make sure that the room has adequate lighting. Another good idea is to add hooks to the wall and this is where backpacks can be hung up.

You can always put hooks in the hallway or near the entrance if you want. Place one hook for each child. It will then be their responsibility to make sure that they place their backpack there on their hook. Get them in the habit of doing this as soon as they get home from school. Teach them that the backpacks stay there and are only taken down when it’s time to do homework or in the mornings when they go to school. As soon as they’ve finished their homework everything needs to be put back in the backpack and they need to hang it back up.

Have you ever heard of a foldaway desk? A foldaway desk is something that attaches to the closet door and folds away. This is an option for each child’s closet. All it takes is measuring the door and cutting a piece of wood to fit it. You’ll have to attach it to the door with hinges, making sure to use screws that do not go all the way through. Another piece of wood needs to be attached vertically, also on hinges so that this piece of wood can be pulled out to support the desk. When it’s not being used, it simply gets folded away.

Once you’ve created a system it’s important to make sure that everyone remembers to follow it. You will probably have to remind your kids, especially in the beginning stages of implementing the new system, a couple times before they start remembering to be responsible for their own things. Give them time, it will be a habit before long and you won’t have to give out reminders anymore.