As a teacher for 22 years now and a mom of 17 years, I have to say that I absolutely love the excitement of back to school supplies. A fresh new pencil and notebook are gold! At the same time, I dread the complete explosion of “stuff”! Out of necessity, I have worked to tweak some easy organizing hacks for school supplies that help us store extra supplies both in my classroom storage space and at home too.
Having extra art supplies, classroom supplies, and everyday school supplies is incredibly helpful. Because, let’s be honest, our kids never remember that one odd thing they need until 10 minutes before the store closes, right?! In my classroom, it seems that I am always coming up with some idea at the last minute and having a variety of extra supplies on hand allows for that kind of creativity.
However, without the right kind of storage bins and good organizing hacks for school supplies and storage, the stuff is just too overwhelming!
In today’s post, I am going to share 13 easy organizing hacks for school supplies that I’ve found helpful over the years. None of these ideas are rocket science or overly fancy at all. Certainly, these are not magazine-worthy storage spaces. However, these organizing hacks for school supplies are achievable and affordable. As a teacher and mom, ideas that are reasonably achievable and affordable are a major win!
Ready to get all of those extra student supplies organized with easy access for you, your children, and/or students? Let’s get started!
13 Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies + Storage
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #1: Don’t over purchase
Admittedly, I’m writing this one to remind myself. Haha! I have a weak spot for a great sale and somehow, we have at least 50 extra pencils in our storage bin of school supplies. That’s just one kind of extra pencils. I won’t even count the other kinds of extra pencils. Let’s just say, we probably don’t need to buy pencils for back-to-school for a few years. Insert eyeroll!!!
One of the best and easiest ways to control the chaos is to control the amount of supplies brought into the home or classroom. While it’s extremely helpful to have extra school supplies on hand when you need them, 50 extra black Ticonderoga pencils…even if they are the best pencils… is definitely excessive. I’m not tossing them out, of course, but I’ve made note to myself to NOT BUY ANYMORE, even if they are on sale! Haha!
I am not a fan of wasting good student materials that could be used for school projects. At the same time, a super easy organizing hack for school supplies that doesn’t cost a penny is to declutter. If you have an abundance of student materials, consider packaging them up and donating to a school teacher, aftercare program, early education programs, or children’s ministry program.
After all, how many fuzzy pom poms, rolls of washi tape, and paper clips can one family use?!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #2: Create designated space for school supplies and storage
Creating designated space as organizing hacks for school supplies sounds so simple but most of us know that it’s not usually as easy as it seems. Especially if you have a small space or limited closets, finding storage solutions can feel overwhelming. However, sometimes some creativity can unlock great storage solutions!
Unfortunately, our home does not have a mudroom nor an actual designated laundry room. Figuring out a space for our kids to hang backpacks, lunch boxes, instruments, sports bags, music bags, and allllllll the things seemed impossible! An underutilized hot water tank and electrical box closet ended up being the answer!
You can read about our drop zone over on THIS blog post, along with all of the materials we used. Included in the drop zone is designated space for a storage bin of extra school supplies.
After decluttering that bin before the first day of school this year, I know that the things stored in there are supplies that will actually get used and I feel good about using our storage space for what is actually used and needed!
Your designated space may be as simple as reorganizing to clear a kitchen drawer or single cabinet. An underutilized shelf in the linen closet or laundry room could be a great spot for extra supplies within an arm’s reach. Whatever you need to do to create a designated space, get creative and find accessible and functional space for those student supply organization systems!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #3: Make a small investment in a label maker.
Student supply organization systems only work if you do! I have found that items stay in the correct places much, much better when I have those spaces labeled. Now, my kids will even ask me to label something from time to time because they know it helps everyone stay organized!
I’ve been using THIS simple label maker for a few years now and highly recommend it! It is super budget-friendly and often goes on sale. You should be able to score one for under $20 and it will last you for a very, very long time! This label maker also works great for student supply labels.
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #4: Hang a simple pegboard system
There are many options out there for wall organizers and you’ll want to research the best system to fit both the size of your space and the variety of your needs. In my son’s room, we needed a way to organize a small amount of student supplies for homework. He also wanted to be able to hang his headphones and other gadgets that he uses at his desk. Of course, loving decorating like I do, I wanted to find a simple wall system that doubled as decor.
THIS small pegboard set in navy blue is the perfect solution. To give it more of a mom-approved aesthetic, we added blue pencils and school supplies. PLUS, no one takes his stuff because we all know it’s his since it’s blue!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #5: Use clear shoe box containers
While this might be the most simple of all organizing hacks for school supplies, it is hands down one of my very favorites and one that I’ve been using for many years in our home as well as my classroom.
Clear shoe box size containers are a game changer! I use them not only for all of our art supplies and small toys, but also in our master bathroom closet for extra personal items like toothpaste and deodorant.
Pro Tip: Empty supplies like crayons and markers out of their original packaging. Each kind of supply gets its own bin, though we mix brands of crayons, pencils, etc. in the bins.
THESE bins and simple organization system is easy for even the youngest children to maintain successfully!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #6: Use an over the door organizer
Over the door organizers are awesome for way more than shoes! I’ve used them in our home, hanging on the inside of closet doors, for everything from extra sheets and pillowcases to cleaning supplies to toys and stuffed animals to purses and accessories.
In my classroom, I use an over the door shoe organizer to store an extra change of clothes for each of my students. At home, we currently have an over the door organizer to keep smaller cleaning supplies, like magic erasers and disinfectant wipes, organized.
I love THIS over the door organizer for more easy organizing hacks for school supplies because the depth allows space for small bins to hold materials. THESE clear cases, for example, are perfect for organizing a huge variety of supplies and line up nicely in one of the over the door organizer “shelves.”
When students can see what goes in a bin, like THESE clear, zipper boxes, they are more likely to maintain the student supply organization systems!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #7: Use pretty baskets for paperwork
I love pretty storage solutions that double as home decor! Functional decor is a great way to maximize space at home or in a classroom. Or, if you are setting up a dorm room for your student, functional decor will be essential to create a great aesthetic with plenty of storage space too.
THESE stacked baskets are always in rotation somewhere in our home. Currently, they are on our home desk for paperwork. However, we’ve also used them on the coffee table to hold small games.
If you need a place to keep school paperwork organized, THESE are one of my favorite organizing hacks for school supplies!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #8: Utilize a tackle box or small tool box
As great as big bins can be, they are often harder to organize. When it comes to easy organizing hacks for school supplies, THIS craft/tool box is one of my favorites! I recently purchased two of them to add to our “cleaning” closet, which houses a lot of household essentials.
In one of the boxes, I have basic tools, hooks, and resources that I need and use around the house for decorating. Of course, a screwdriver always comes in handy for so many other things too!
In the other box, I have a variety of tools and supplies that we use for projects, like the hot glue gun, floral tape and wire, white duct tape, push pins, and corsage pins, just to name a few!
THIS box looks neat and tidy and could be used for so many things! A mobile homework station, art supplies, and LEGOs are just a few things I wish I would’ve had this box for over the years!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #9: Add a small cubby system
This small cubby system is an absolute must-have for my classroom and I wish I would’ve had one at home when my children were young! School supply organizers like this are perfect for keeping a variety of items tidy and well-organized. I got super lucky and thrifted a set of baskets that fit the cubby spaces perfectly! In my classroom, This cubby system keeps all of our supplies for arts and crafts organized. We also have baskets for play doh, paper scraps, and other craft supplies.
If you have a lot of smaller things that you want to store in an organized way that is still accessible for children, THIS is a great system and looks beautiful in a classroom or home.
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #10: Invest in a small rolling drawer organizer
One of my teenagers has a particular love for art, calligraphy, notebooks, and her own kinds of pens and markers. Instead of mixing her special items in with the rest of our art supplies, I took a popular classroom storage and organization idea to use at home. THIS rolling cart looks nice and blends with the aesthetic of our home while also being super functional.
We used the label maker to make small labels for each drawer and that helps her keep it more organized.
Rolling carts and drawer organizers come in a lot of different colors and styles. I love this one because there are different sizes of drawers and the white and light wood tone finish makes it blend in with home. It would be great for any small space or even a dorm room for a portable dresser, desk area, vanity, or even a coffee bar!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #12: Add pretty storage ottomans that double as decor
Ottomans that also have storage are a great solution for extra storage space. We use them around our home for a variety of different things. In the family room, I have two unstuffed poufs that i use to store extra throw pillows. In my son’s room, another unstuffed leather pouf is perfect for all of his childhood stuffed animals. We use a larger ottoman as a coffee table in our sun room. Inside, we store extra toys and treats for our puppy. My girls use a storage ottoman for purses and handbags.
In my classroom, I have five adorable little stools that look like tree trunks, Inside, I store toys like mega blocks, magna tiles, and Lincoln logs for my students!
There are so many great ways to use storage ottomans, stools, and tables and obviously, it’s one of my favorite organizing hacks for school supplies or any other kind of “extras”!
Easy Organizing Hacks for School Supplies #13: Stock up on personal essentials as well as school supplies
Now wait a minute, in #1, I said to not over purchase. Haha! However, there is a big difference between over purchasing and having supplies on hand. At the end of the summer, before the beginning of the school year, I try to make sure our family is stocked up on everything from toothpaste to hand sanitizer to pencils to glue and everything in between.
The beginning of the year gets so hectic between home and my classroom. It helps to not be racing around in the evenings to pick up random small items that any of us need to tuck into the car, a desk drawer at school, purse, or backpack!
Also, at the beginning of the school year, there are usually great sales on school supplies and personal items. It’s a great time to stock up!
These “bag essentials” are perfect for having on hand in addition to extra school supplies!
As you can see, these are not over-the-top ideas. However, they are simple solutions that actually work and help us during this busy season of life between home and school. If you are struggling with how to corral the chaos of school supplies with random storage containers or just need to tweak your storage boxes for more accessible solutions, I hope this post gives you some ideas.
Over on my storefront, you can shop my other favorites for Storage and Organization that we use around our home!
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- 25 Back to School Tips to Survive (and Thrive) as a Family 2025
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