8 Tools to stay organized this year

When it comes to organizing for school, start with the backpack. Look for backpacks that offer a lot of organizational tools and compartments. Assist your child to keep each compartment organized and select designated compartments to keep school items in. Keeping the backpack organized will help keep your home organized as well.

Is your kid stuck on a Superman backpack this year? No need to worry. Add this Seal Line Urban Backpack organizer to manage all of his school supplies — he can still look like a superhero at school (Backcountry Gear, $15).

Keep your homework space organized with an art supply station. Perfect for any age, an art supply station can organize each child’s school needs and art supplies in one place. The caddy, which can be stowed away, is easy to center on a table or desk.

The Rubbermaid Spacemaker has 12 compartments, guaranteed to be enough space for all of your homework needs (Overstock.com, $39 for two).

Organize daily homework with the use of a dry-erase station. With a whiteboard to add nightly homework checklists and small compartments for dry-erase markers and more, this is a need in school organization tool for the home. Write down your younger kid’s homework assignments on your own, or have older children write them on the board as soon as they arrive home.

We like this small, yet perfectly sized dry-erase station (Target, $25).

Does your kiddo use an iPad for their educational needs? Help them keep organized with an iPad portfolio. Equipped with additional pockets and folders for paper, pens and a charger, an iPad portfolio will help keep everything they need in one place.

Etsy offers cute handmade iPad sleeves in various colors to match your child’s favorite hue (WeirdOldSnail, $38).

Channel your inner teacher with your own inbox and outbox letter trays. Assign each shelf to a child and have them add homework assignments to the inbox when they first arrive home from school. Once it’s homework time, go to the box to complete it together. If your kids are older, have them do it themselves and place completed work in the outbox for your review.

This letter tray has four compartments (IKEA, $20).

Organize homework priorities with personalized homework calendars. Laid out to organize more than just homework, individualized calendars can remind your students of soccer practice, things to remember for tomorrow (like precious permission slips) and homework duties (Brame School & Office Products, $4 per dozen).

Good-bye Trapper Keeper, hello homework holder! Keep the inside of backpacks organized with personalized homework holders. With a three-ring binder and organizational pockets inside, a homework holder folder can keep homework nice and neat. Many homework holders can also carry money or school ID cards for younger kids (PBteen, $26).