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Last updated on June 24th, 2024 at 12:17 pm
One of the hardest, most emotional tasks for clients is to declutter kids’ school paperwork. There’s so much nostalgia going through all those old art projects, book reports, and mementos from the past years.
Since school will be out for summer really soon, it’s a good time to pare down so you’re fresh for the new school year in August or September. After that, vow to keep up on it so that you’re not having to repeat the entire process again next year.
Ok, so how exactly do you get started on a project like this?
Use these 4 steps to declutter your kids’ school paperwork without going crazy.
Watch the Facebook Live training instead:
Step 1: Decide on the purpose
The first step in any project is figuring out why you’re even doing it in the first place. Let’s figure out:
- What’s the purpose of keeping all this stuff?
- Are you keeping these things as memories for you or your child?
- Which projects or papers are the most important to keep?
- Do you only want to keep a limited number of items in a specified size box or binder?
Note: If your child is a little older, it might be nice to include them in the decision-making if the purpose is to keep things for them…my parents did that, and I appreciate that I got to have my say. But that’s completely up to you.
Step 2: Gather supplies
You will need:
- Recycle bin
- Trash bin
- Shredder
(you never know)
(you never know)Now you got options…
Will you use:
- A box?
- A binder?
- A scrapbook?
If your kids are younger, I’d recommend using a nice file box where you can organize the school work by age/grade.
If your kids are older, use a binder, scrapbook, or keepsake box. This really pares down the amount of paper you have, but it also gets everyone more willing to actually look at the collection you have.
I sorted through my stuff and ended up putting all my papers in this scrapbook my grandmother gave me for Christmas one year.
(On a side note, this gift was a very sweet and creative idea. My Nana gathered up all the gifts the grandkids had given her over the years and made each of us one of these sweet scrapbooks. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever received…might be a good idea for one of your kids someday. *hint hint*)
Step 3: Start sorting
Time to get to work! Right now, don’t worry about sorting by grade. Just decide what you will keep and what you will discard. Keep your goal in mind.
What you can definitely throw away:
- Worksheets
- Busy work
- Newsletters (unless your kid is mentioned, but I don’t think they do that)
- Anything that doesn’t say anything about your child’s personality or development
(Do you realize how much paper our kids bring home each year? Sheesh!)
This project can be emotionally overwhelming. It may be easier to do a little bit at a time (like dedicating an hour or two each day or each week to working on it).
Step 4: Set up a system
Now that you’re crazy organized (good job!), keep it up!
As Tommy brings home all that school work don’t just throw it in a pile and forget about it. Start tossing the papers you will never need, and give the papers you might need a place to live. At the end of the year, you can sort through what’s left to add to your already carefully curated collection.
One paper organizing system to try out is the Actionable Paper Hub that you can read about in this post. Add all that school paperwork to the basket so you are guaranteed to go through it every single week.
4 steps to declutter kids’ school paperwork
Anytime you organize the kids’ stuff, it can get tough. As moms, we tend to get a little emotional when it comes to our babies. Break down a tough project like this by:
- Deciding why you’re doing it
- Gathering what you’ll need
- Sorting and purging
- Setting up a system
For homeschoolers:
If you’re a homeschooling family, here’s a post on which papers and records to keep.
Do you need an entire system for decluttering & organizing paper? Check out the Paper Hubs System, which includes a bonus video teaching kids to declutter their own papers. Find it here >>>
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