Well Organized Students Have Less Stress

At this point in the school year, it’s a good idea for parents to take a look at their student’s organization skills before things get out of hand and overwhelming. Lack of organization leads to stress. As parents we should be able to help our students with organization to try to avoid or reduce stress.

Here are some useful tips to help students get and stay organized:

•    Make sure students have a planner or calendar. Encourage them to use the planner daily for assignments but also to look ahead to see when future assignments or projects are due.

•    Have a “Go” box near the front door. Everything your child needs to bring to school the following day should be in the “Go” box. This eliminates frantic mornings searching the entire house for lost folders, musical instruments, projects, etc. A separate “Go” box for each child is recommended. 

•    Multi-compartment backpacks will help students stay organized. Two to three compartments for books, notebooks, and personal items is best. Smaller school supplies should be in zippered pockets to keep them from getting lost.

•    Set a weekly backpack cleaning day. Generally Fridays work well for this. Clean out old papers, leftover snacks, etc. Refill any school supplies as needed. I’ve seen students come to my office with their backpacks overflowing with loose papers from the last three months. This makes it difficult for them to locate current papers. 

•    Organizing notebooks, folders, and papers by color can be very helpful. Sticky notes in red for most important, yellow for moderate importance, and green for completed work is something I’ve found works very well with students. 

Teaching and building organizational skills works with all age students and all grade levels from elementary through college. It’s never too early or too late to start. When these skills are reinforced periodically they will most definitely help to reduce stress in students. Students today have so many things in their lives that can create stress. If we can help to reduce or eliminate stress with organizational skills then why not do it. These are skills students will carry with them for life!