14+ Ways to Get Organized for Back to School

1. Create a DIY homework school supply organizer.

Homework is easier when we can find all of the supplies we need!

Bre from Bre Pea created this adorable homework caddy with an inexpensive organizer + mason jars. It’s so cute and functional at the same time!

Tuck the caddy away in a cabinet or closet near where your kids do their homework, and it will be easy for them to grab when they need it.

Find more of Bre’s back to school organizing tips here.

2. Create a back to school organization station.

Lia from Southern Yankee DIY created a central spot for all of her family’s school information.

She included a colorful bulletin board with a calendar and important forms, as well as open stacking bins with supplies she and her kids reach for often.

An in/out box makes sure that no important paperwork gets missed!

Get all of Lia’s bulletin board ideas here.

3. Make personalized homeschool bins for each kid.

Katelyn from Home Cleaning Family helps her kids keep their schoolwork organized with these cute personalized bins!

They no longer have to look all over the house for supplies and materials. Everything her kids need is neatly tucked away in their organized containers.

Katelyn uses these bins for homeschool, but even if your child attends school outside the home, creating a home base for all of the supplies they use most often is such a smart idea!

Get the full tutorial for Katelyn’s personalized school bins here.

4. Make a back to school basket to give your kids the day before school starts.

For some kids, back to school time can come with some stress and worry. Nicolle from Our Tiny Nest helps ease her kids into the school year with sweet back to school baskets!

From hand sanitizer to craft supplies to their favorite books and games, this back to school basket is a fun way to kick off the new season.

Find everything Nicolle add to her baskets here.

5. Make a simple command center for back to school.

I have created a command center in both the houses we’ve lived in since my boys have been in school. It really helps us stay organized throughout the year!

In our command center, I included an “inbox” for each boy using folders on a pegboard. I also added a magnet board where we can post info for upcoming events, field trips, theme days, and more.

Our magnet board also includes hooks where we can hang keys, lanyards, activity bags, etc.

Get all the details about our simple command center in this post.

6. Create an organized school lunch station.

Emily from Small Stuff Counts is an organizing queen, and I love how she created this neat and tidy lunch station for her kiddos.

All of the bags, utensils, and containers they use to pack their lunches are in one spot, so they’re not frantically searching for the pieces they need when it’s time to get ready for the school day.

This lunch station is such a simple yet effective way to take some of the stress out of the school prep process.

Find all of Emily’s tips here.

7. Create a simple school drop-off zone to make coming home from school easier.

I’m sure it has happened to all of us. Our kids come in the door after school, throw all of their stuff on the floor, and head off to play with their toys or wind down for the day. And we’re left with a big mess to clean up!

Brittany from Our Home Made Easy fixed this problem in her house with a simple drop off zone!

Each of her kids has a designated hook to hang their school items, so it’s easy for them to put them up out of the way. Her house stays neat, and her kids still get to start playing immediately.

You can find all of Brittany’s back to school tips on her blog here.

8. Make personalized DIY paper bookmarks.

Fun personalized accessories can help get kids excited about heading back to school. I love these adorable bookmarks made by Danielle from DIY Danielle!

Danielle used the bookmarks as party favors. And they would also make a cute and inexpensive back to school gift for kids to take to their friends.

See Danielle’s full tutorial here.

9. Keep everyone organized with a back-to-school schedule board.

School mornings can be hectic for sure! Keep everybody on track with an organized schedule board, like this one by Danielle from DIY Danielle.

Instead of mom and/or dad having to nag the kids over and over again to get ready on time, a schedule board clearly lays out expectations and does the reminding for you.

See how Danielle made this cute schedule board here.

10. Create customized backpacks to keep school supplies organized.

I know I’m always more likely to keep things organized when they’re cute!

Amber from Amber Oliver took this backpack to the next level with an adorable personalized design.

Kids can choose their designs based on their individual interests and preferences. And maybe– just maybe– it will encourage them to keep their backpack more organized throughout the school year!

Check out Amber’s full tutorial here.

11. Make a school days yearly record book with this free printable.

Alison from Just Add Confetti creates the sweetest back to school designs, including this incredible first day of school record.

It would be so fun to print one of these each year and watch as your kids grow and change as they get older.

Check out all of Alison’s back to school ideas on her blog here.

12. Create a back to school countdown banner.

Celebrating the back to school season can help our kids get excited for the new school year!

Nicolle from Our Tiny Nest created a fun countdown to help her kids prepare for school.

On the back of each pencil she used for her banner, Nicole listed simple tasks for the kids to do to get ready for the first day of school.

This helped them complete their back to school to-do list a little at a time so it wouldn’t be overwhelming or take much time each day.

Get Nicolle’s full tutorial here.

13. Keep everyone’s school supplies organized with DIY magazine holders.

Back to school time comes with tons of books and paperwork, and Katelyn from Home Cleaning Family has a cute and inexpensive way to keep everything organized!

She created DIY magazine holders with cereal boxes + fun patterned Duck Tape!

Each of her kids could personalize their box with the tape design of their choice. And they even added Duck Tape pencil holders to the outside of the box so they could always have a writing utensil close by.

See all of Katelyn’s home school room organization tips here.

14. Create an art display to organize kids’ school papers and memorabilia.

Kids bring a ton of papers and projects home from school. While many of these items can be recycled, I always liked to display the pieces my boys were most proud of.

When the boys were little and had a ton of projects, I used these curtain wires from IKEA to display their artwork.

When they got a little older, we moved to a pegboard system, which worked well for us too. See their entire organized playroom here.