School Supplies DOs and DON’Ts! Tips for Making this School Year the Best Yet

(Back-to-School Series, Part 3)

If thinking about opening your student’s backpack fills you with a sense of impending doom, then it might be time to rethink what your student puts in there to begin with.

This week, in Part 3 of our Back-to-School Series, we explore the ins and outs of school supplies. Frankly, the art of simplicity can be daunting. We often feel that we MUST have every tool possible at our (or our student’s) fingertips. The problem is, when we have too many choices, we often choose nothing at all.

Barry Schwartz says it all in his amazing book The Paradox of Choice: “Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.”

That said, let’s get into “School Supplies Do’s and Don’ts.”

Back that Backpack Up

If you avoid going into your student’s backpack because of how chaotic it is, chances are your child does too. A messy backpack causes overwhelm, which often leads to one of the most common frustrations we hear from parents: “They have a notebook for every class, but every time they get a piece of paper, they just shove it into their backpack.” Sound familiar? If so, keep reading.

MAKE A 3-COLUMN LIST with your student BEFORE running to the store. The columns should be labeled as follows:

Needs—Must-haves like pens, paper, calculator, erasers, etc.
Wants—Don’t dismiss student wants right away, instead, lead them to a decision on their own. Ask, “Why do you want this?” “How will it help you?” and “Where will it go?”
Gone—As a team, review the items students kept in their backpacks last year. What did they use, didn’t use? Is there a better alternative?

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE—A good question I like to ask my students is, “Where is this item’s home?”

Take all of the items out of the backpack and then put them back in, with purpose. Ask, “where is the most functional/practical place for this item to go so it’s easy to access?”
Once your student places the items in the spots that make the most sense, take a picture! These pictures can be used as a reference for keeping the backpack organized. Later, if organization becomes a struggle, ask, “Does your backpack look like its picture?”

BACKPACK BACKUP—If your student needs a set of things on one day but not the other, you have options that will keep that backpack from bursting at the seams.

Option 1: Get another backpack! Stock backpacks with the things your student needs on Day 1 and another for Day 2. (Pro Tip: make sure the backpacks are easy to tell apart.)
Option 2: Take a semi-large container and split it into two sections. Place a list (or a picture) on the lid of the box over each section and label it with the items needed for each day. (This becomes easier if you label the sections by day. For example, a “Monday/Wednesday” box and a “Tuesday/Thursday” box.)
If your student’s schedule is inconsistent, get a shelf (we like this shoe rack) with cubby holes large enough to fit a large binder. Label a cubby hole for each class or activity, and keep the schedule posted above the rack so your student can easily grab what’s needed for the day and put away the things that aren’t needed for that day.

AVOID THE SHOVE! To avoid the frustrating habit of “just shoving things in there,” organization needs to be easy. Here are some ideas:

Basic folders: for every class, get a simple folder with a pocket on each side. We recommend a different color for each class to make them easier to identify. Label the front with the name of the class, then on the inside, label the left pocket “To Do” and the right pocket, “To Turn In.”
Landing Folder: put an extra folder, labeled “Landing Folder” in your student’s backpack separated from all the others. This folder is where anything that would get “shoved” into the backpack should end up. Then, a daily after-school alarm should be set as a reminder for the student to go into the landing folder and put any loose papers into the folders where they belong.

Why do students shove things in their backpacks?

It’s simple—because it’s easy, especially for students with ADHD. When the bell rings and they have to dash to the next class, the extra steps of getting a binder out, opening it, placing the paper in its right place, and putting it back, triggers the same response in their brains that others might get seeing a 12-story staircase. “The Shove” is just an elevator. In their mind it is going to take them to the same place, saving time and energy.

Keeping your student’s backpack organized might seem like a minor concern, but it’s actually a key factor in their academic success. Take a moment to sit down with your student and work together to ensure their backpack is neat and reflects their unique brilliance.

SOS4Students Is Here to Help

SOS4Students offers one-on-one executive function coaching and workshops that can help students before the school year begins with planning, organization, note-taking, and more.

If your student could use 1:1 executive functioning support this school year, complete our online intake form and schedule a call to learn more about how we can help your student become an independent learner.

While many of our summer workshops have taken place, slots remain for the August session of our Executive Brain Bootcamp (for high schoolers, August 8 – registration closes today) and our summer note-taking workshops, Take Note (for middle schoolers) and Secrets of Successful Note Taking for high school students. But hurry, registration us first come, first served. Learn More and Sign Up NOW

Back-to-School Series, Part 4

Next week, as we wrap up our back-to-school series, we will talk about advocacy and school accommodations to get your student ready and productive for the new school year.

Got Questions?

If you have questions about workshops, coaching, or other ways in which we can help, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (510) 531-4767 or .