Organizational Tips for the Preschool Classroom

Organization! You know it's the key to a valuable experience for your preschoolers and for you. What are some tips that might help you? We've listed a few below and will keep adding to this list.

Messy bookshelves are common in many classrooms. Avoid upside down books, a disheveled shelf, and children who can't make a book choice by keeping all books in bins. I like to get various colors, for example blue for science, red for animal stories, yellow for information, etc. Then, I put small stickers on the cover of each book to designate which bin is the book's home. This helps with organization and teaches children to put materials back in a specific place, but in a child-friendly way.

I like when children can carry a bin of books to the carpet and look through all of them. By having books arranged by topic, children begin to learn about different categories of literature. This is an age-appropriate introduction to genre.

In talking with a preschool teacher, she noted that despite years of experience she made an error when buying a new carpet. She pointed out that it did not have easily discernible spaces for children to sit. This is an important consideration when buying or "adopting" a classroom carpet. When each child has their space, fewer irritations will occur.

Here is one of my favorite tips. Have you ever looked around and wondered who is in the bathroom and how long he or she has been gone? Use a teddy bear duo to help.

Have children take a bear and put it on their seat at the table. This way you can see at a glance who is using the restroom and make a mental note of how long the child has been away. This has worked wonders in my classrooms over the years!

Standards Alignment:
NAEYC - 2.A.07 & 2.A.08
Head Start - II. A. & B.