How to Organize a School Supply Organizer For The Home

Growing up, I constantly looked for school supplies around the house while doing homework. Pencils were never in one place, and scissors were never around when you needed them. When I had to do a project, it was always a mad rush to the nearby store to buy what I needed.

When my kids reached school age, I decided that I wanted my kids to have all the supplies they needed when they needed them. And, that it was portable so that they could take it to their bedroom, the kitchen, or the basement. So, I created this school supply organizer for home.

Jump to:

• Organize the school supplies.
• Before school begins, we test the markers to make sure they don't dry out over the summer.
• How long did it take to do this project?
• How much did it cost?
• Reveal

Organize the school supplies.

First, I went and organized the supplies I already had. The supplies were in several places - the playroom, the office, and the kitchen. I gathered them all together and then sorted them by type. Here are some of the categories:

• Pens,
• pencils,
• highlighters (affiliate),
• dry-erase markers

While sorting them, I used a piece of paper and opened each marker, marking it to make sure it worked. Yes, it took a little longer, but some markers were dried out and old, so it paid off to get rid of them before placing them in an organizer. No one wants to grab a dried-out marker. It also helps to see which markers are in low supply.

Before school begins, we test the markers to make sure they don't dry out over the summer.

I bought a storage desktop carousel at Michaels. However, you can buy them on Amazon (affiliate), too. Here are all the school supplies carousels that Amazon carries.

They vary in price. They are all pretty affordable and look nice too. It had lots of compartments, which I loved, and the compartments were different sizes, which helped too.

Each section helped the kids with a variety of homework tasks.

"Home disorganization will affect the student's ability to complete school assignments." - Sabrina M Quairoli: Learn how to organize School Supplies for the home Share on X

I then went through and placed the liked items in different places depending on the amount of space required.

First, I used the hooks for the binder rings that would hold hole-punched index cards.

Then, I added all these other items. They consisted of the following.

• Pencils,
• pens,
• markers,
• colored pencils,
• highlighters (affiliate),
• erasers,
• paperclips,
• a calculator,
• rulers,
• scissors,
• glue sticks.  

Then, I labeled the sections as well with a label maker (affiliate) to help remind the kids where things go and where supplies disappeared.  As you can see, the scissors are in use right now.  

How long did it take to do this project?

The project took about 1.5 hours.

How much did it cost?

It cost me about $50.00 for this one; however, many others are more affordable.

Reveal

Here is what the carousel looked like after we were done. It worked well and I could easily see the items that were missing. It also helped save us money because each time we reviewed these school supplies, we did not need to buy more for the coming year. Cha-ching!

By making your school supply organizer, you will help your child easily find the supplies they need for assignments. It will also help you not have to hear, "Mom, I can't find a red colored pencil", "But, Mom, we don't have ...."

To create your school supply carousel, here are some you can buy at Amazon.com. They are all unique and can hold many items to help your student succeed in homework assignments. (Note: if you purchase these items, I will receive a commission from Amazon (affiliate).)

I hope this post inspires you to organize your kids' school supplies with an organizer like this one. Please leave a comment below if you have any ideas or suggestions on ways to manage these items. I would love to hear from you.

Below are some affordable upcycling back-to-school projects you can do to help you organize your kids' things.