A Simple And Organized School Set-Up

Distance learning this year? If you’re anything like me you had high hopes of setting up a spectacularly organized school station for your budding students. Then life happened. Now school is days away and you’re wondering how you can keep your kids – and their ample school supplies – organized.

Breathe easy, mama. I’m here for you.

Let me just say this: You don’t need that spectacular workstation. Maybe such a set up doesn’t even fit with your family lifestyle and you’re more of a “work at the kitchen table/kitchen counter/sofa” crew. That’s ok. I’m there, too.

If you find yourself in this boat I come baring some incredibly simple – emphasis on simple – ways to get you, your kids, and your house set up for success. These ideas may not be the incredible workstations that you see on Pinterest or the ‘Gram, but they’ll leave you and your house a lot more organized.

1. Kitchen Drawers

If you’re a work at the kitchen island kind of family, you’re going to want to keep things close.

Find that one kitchen drawer that doesn’t serve any real purpose – you know, the one filled with ketchup packets, delivery menus, and the like. Empty that sucker out, toss or re-home what’s in it and use that drawer space to house your school supplies.

If you’re really wanting an organizing gold star, pick up some drawer bins so that all of your supplies have a home and kids can grab and go as they please.

2. The Caddy

If you’re the wandering type and foresee yourselves floating from kitchen to living room to room x in any given moment, consider a caddy. These are super portable, have built-in dividers to separate markers from pencils, and come in a variety of styles and price points.

3. The Divided Lazy Susan

Whether you call it a lazy susan or a turntable, turn a pile of school supplies on its head by getting yourself one of these organizing saviors. I don’t think there’s a professional organizer who hasn’t used one of these lazy susans to divvy up school supplies – and there’s a reason for it – it’s a great way to keep your school supplies tidy and organized. It’s also pretty intuitive for kids to maintain, too.

lazy susan for organizing school supplies

4. The File Organizer

If school is anything like last year, I will find myself printing mounds of paperwork for my budding student. This year, however, I am coming prepared.

A hanging file folder like this one will be the perfect way to file papers away by subject and keep tabs on the documents that need to be submitted to teacher.

Hanging file organizer for school papers

5. Old Furniture

In my house, what used to be a liquor cabinet is now a school supply haven (ok a liquor holding/school supply haven). I emptied the drawers out and brought school supplies to one drawer, workbooks to the next drawer, and laptop, headphones and chargers to the next.

The best part is that this piece sits between our kitchen and living room so it’s always within easy access. Which helps for the liquor part, too.

Pro organizing tip: Similar to the kitchen drawer, get yourself some drawer dividers, like these ones from Stori, to give each supply its own home.

6. The Tiered Cart

This is the least simple of all the options, and that’s why it’s coming in last.

The tiered cart is a classic organizing tool that can tidy up pretty much anything – school supplies included.

Use one tier to organize school writing utensils like pencils, crayons and markers. Use the next tiers for papers, school work and electronics.

Pro organizing tip: Like everything, these tiers need additional organizing systems to keep supplies in check – otherwise you’ll find yourself with a towering heap of supplies and papers coming from every direction. If you’re going to go this route, for the sake of organizing gods everywhere, please pop in some dividers to store each type of school supply. This can be as easy as mason jars or large plastic cups to hold pencils, crayons, and the like.

Tiered cart for organizing school supplies

Creating An Organized School Station Can Be That Simple

And there you have it. Organizing school workstations for your kids can be simple, budget-friendly and sanity-keeping. You’re welcome.

If you have questions or have discovered some magically simple ways to organize your kid’s school stations, send ‘em my way. Email me through my website or tag or DM me on IG .