Our Favorite Way to Organize School Papers (Free Printable Labels Included!)
You’ll love this school paper organizer to keep all the documents from the year neatly stashed in one spot.
Looking for a better way to organize your child’s school papers & memories this year? 📚🤓
Storing keepsake papers, awards, report cards, artwork, etc. can become so overwhelming for a parent. While you’d like to keep everything, realistically that isn’t always possible.
Unless you make a school paper organizer! This way you’ll be able to hold everything in one place and stay organized!
Consider setting up a system before the school year starts, so you’ll be able to easily organize those memories all year long!
I’d like to say that I’m an organized person, but in all honestly, I’ve always struggled with paper clutter and knowing what to do with my children’s “stuff.” For instance, I have papers stashed in my office, the kitchen, their rooms, and even the garage.
With that said, I’m working on this paper storage project to get myself motivated to identify the BEST pieces to hold onto, and so far it’s working!
This easy filing system keeps only the very best memories of each school year and stores them all together in a plastic hanging file bin for each child. This school paper organizer solution has been such a helpful idea for me, and it’s working out great for our family!
I’m sharing these FREE printable labels and cover sheets to print and organize a hanging file bin for your kids, too!
PRINT K-12 File Folder Labels
File Cover Sheet – Print or Save .jpg file
Bin Cover Sheet – Print or Save .jpg file
DIY School Paper Organizer
PrintSupplies Needed
Directions
1
Fill out the hanging file cover sheets for each grade including year, teacher, school, etc., and attach a school photo for each year. Glue or tape to the front of a hanging file.
2
Attach labels for each school year to file folders. If desired, you can create multiple file folders for each year and separate them into different categories such as schoolwork, artwork, awards, etc. File papers according to each grade level.
3
Label the bin with your child’s name. Feel free to use a marker, or save this blank label with a school supply border and open it in an image editor to add text. I used PicMonkey.com, an online editing tool, to add text to images. The font pictured is called Yesteryear.
This paper storage system is really easy to keep up with once you have it all set up!
Honestly, I wish I would have done this classroom paper organizer years ago when my first child started school. I love looking back at all my kids’ special writing assignments and memories, and I know that they will too in the future!
Everyone is different what school stuff they will cherish. I had to go through my brothers and mine, neither one of us wanted it. That stuff would have just sat in a box or binder collecting dust. No one cares about that picture you drew in third grade or something you wrote in high school. If you fill the need to keep your kids stuff take a picture of it so you can get rid of it but still have the digital copy to look at.
I have older family members with grown children who experienced the same thing. They saved A LOT of things for their kids and then when their kids become adults they didn’t want any of it. I saved only some things from when my kids were younger for them using a milk crate and folders (pics were kept in a separate photo book) to limit the amount. Now that they are teens I had them go through and decide what they wanted to keep from what was in the crate already and if they want to add anything more. I am hoping them having ownership will make it less of a chore when they are adults.
Ty for this will be getting these print soon
You’re welcome! 🤗💕
Just a thought, I do the same thing, but often store yearbooks and printed books with them and the file folders are too small. I use the plastic school folder that are out right now and then file them in the box.
Thanks for the tip! Great idea.
Does anyone have recommendations for file storage bins that are less expensive than these ones? They look great but something that costs a little less would better fit my budget. Thanks!
I use the Sterilite medium letter file box at Target. Got them for $9 in the past. $13.69 now. Luv Sterilite brand. This box has handle and extra storage on top.
Hello Lina – My kids went to Desert Mountain too! I use this system for our boys. It’s a great way to keep down on clutter and organizing schoolwork you don’t want to loose. My oldest Graduated High School (Boulder Creek) in May and our youngest is a Sophomore. This is a perfect Keep Sake!
Oh ha small world. Yes agree about the clutter! Thanks for chiming in!
I spent the last few months organizing all my sons school stuff like this, but I used these from Amazon intead https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071J3PS3S?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title and then printed a sheet of paper with the grade on it and put it in the front so you can see it through the zip pouch. I like the pouches better, nothing will slip out and won’t bend or rip.
Oh that’s a smart idea too! Thanks for sharing Tricia!
I have a 13 and 15 year old. For their pre-k to 5th grade art pieces or cumbersome projects, I used Artkive. I have to say it was pricey but not obscene. It worked for me because all the pieces the kids created were in one book and the “bad” people at Artkive recycled the pieces. I couldn’t bear throwing it out. I then used the organizing tip posted here to save the rest of the their papers. Having the pre-made forms really helped. I only saved paper awards, notes or letters from teachers or friends. Some special assignments like a poem or grade from a tough subject for them. I do have to say that it is time consuming to set up , but once you do, it us easy to maintain. Having a defined space to store things in does assist in making the choice of how much to save. At this time the kids do enjoy looking back to see what assignments they worked on and what their penmanship look like. When they move on they will have 1 box and book from school days and they can choose to make a pit stop the the dump or not. I am on the fence about making a quilt out of old t-shirts if theirs I have collected over the years. Has anyone done that. Was it something your child kept and used?
Oh thanks for sharing how you approached this project. I actually plan to do a tshirt quilt for each child as well for HS grad.
When I was in school I wore uniforms and my grandmother did use the fabric from my skirts and jumpers to make a quilt. I truly appreciated the work and thoughtfulness that she put into it. I say go for it!!!!…we all need to snuggle during those cold winter nights and this will be better than any store bought quilt!…thanks for sharing your story
I also have saved all my son’s sports t shirts and will be making a quilt one of these days, go for it homemade is the best!