Get Organized at School in 3 Easy Steps

In my personal life, I love to organize. I frequently feel like I get disorganized as the hectic days pass but I always feel sooooo much better when I have an hour or two to sit down and sort things out.

It is this feeling of “Ahh everything is in place. Now I’m ready to focus.” that we sometimes need to help our children or students feel as well. This way they can be ready to do their best learning and their best work.

A very specific objective that I am addressing with today’s song –

Maintain an organized workspace in the  classroom(s) when given a checklist by:

(1) keeping all non-essential supplies and/or personal items such as journals or sticky notes in her backpack

(2) placing finished or work-in-progress work in the correct location

(3) disposing of all trash quickly in the appropriate receptacle.

You’ll see that the tune reflects the list almost exactly.  I find it fun & upbeat with a bit of “country twang.” I’ve said before, I never know quite what the final sound will be until I finish the song!

Tips & Tricks

Make the checklist.  The student has this checklist available and is encouraged to use it first every time he sits down to work. Forming this habit is the key to having a clear and ready workspace.

Learn the song.  Once you’ve listened and sung through many times, the song will become learned.  Eventually, if verbal cues are still needed, you may be able to simply sing or say “step 1” and the action associated with that will follow. In therapy sessions, I will eventually fade the song as we work toward complete independence with this skill.

Add visuals. If your child is a visual learner add a small image that goes with each step. Perhaps for step one, the child’s backpack. Step 2, a picture of the place in the classroom for completed work.  Step 3, the trash can. You can download my checklist for free here: Stay Organized

Lyrics

I know that I gotta stay organized.
There’s a place for every single one of my supplies.
I know that to make a mess would be unwise.
That’s why I’ll stay organized.

Step 1: If I don’t need it, it goes in my backpack.

Step 2: Put work, finished or not, in the right spot.

Step 3: Trash goes in the trash can of course.
That’s right. I’ll stay organized.

Repeat Chorus.

Do you have any other tips or tricks for getting organized in class?  Share them by leaving a comment below.

Do you need a song like this customized for your child or student’s situation? Purchase a custom song in our store and lyrics can be personalized just for you.

Sing on,

Mary

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