An organized classroom make me so happy! Oh, and so does shopping on Amazon! (2 day shipping is a teacher’s best friend) As a teacher I realized early on that if I devoted myself to organization everything fell into place. I’ve combined my favorite classroom organizational items from Amazon that will help save your sanity from day 1 of pre-planning.
If you want to save time, you can check out all of the products in one place in my Amazon Storefront for Classroom Organization. If you’re looking for more classroom inspiration, checkout the Front Page of my Amazon Storefront!
*Pro Tip: If you’re reading this in the summer, you might want to buy these items now before the August rush sells out these hot items. Your future self will thank you!
*This blog post includes affiliate links which means that at no extra cost to you I will earn a small commission to help offset the cost of running this site.*
Nothing kills my motivation like trying to find a paper clip and spending more time looking for that single paper clip than doing the task I needed it for. Every teacher needs a toolbox for all the challenges the day throws at you. Band-aid to stop the tears – check. Flair pens for a pick-me-up while grading multiplication facts – check. Highlighter to go through professional development paper work – check.
Having all your supplies in one easy to find place will give an instant morale boost, and keep you humming your favorite Disney song instead of singing the blues. Depending on your needs you can choose the smaller teacher toolbox or the larger teacher toolbox. The Vintage Vibes Toolbox Labels and Farmhouse Toolbox Labels are featured below, but there are plenty of design options available!
Checkout the full set of Teacher Toolbox Label options here. If you need tips on how to set up a teacher toolbox, checkout my 5 Steps to Setting up a Teacher Toolbox Blog! Regardless of whether you choose the small or the large toolbox you’ll be taking a huge first step towards an organized classroom!
Every classroom has constant motion. One student needs help differentiating between his Bs and Ds, while another student is working on comprehension skills. Why not get a rolling cart that is mobile and can move with you? I love this cart’s versatility for moving around centers, art supplies, or a coffee station for those days when you need a pick me up. More importantly, it is sturdy so you’ll have a running buddy in the classroom for years to come.
This item on the list seems unexciting, but it’s kind of like getting an electric toothbrush for Christmas. You may not be jumping for joy on day one, but you’ll thank yourself in 15+ years. Durable book bins are definitely an investment that will travel with you to different classrooms and different schools.
Based on your classroom theme you have a lot of options for colors. For a bright pop of color I really like the teal bins which can be bought in packs of 6. You can also buy a 12 pack of a single color, a 12 pack of mixed colors. Organized libraries lead to an organized classroom!
Imagine a world in which all of your copies are done for the next week when you leave on Friday and they are organized by day or by subject. I like printing my copies on Wednesdays and Thursdays (Most teachers print their copies on Fridays. Avoid the long lines!). This means the rest of the week I can spend my time after school with my family watching Netflix, or getting some much-deserved rest. Set this system in place and Mondays will become your new favorite day of the week.
Pro Tip: To create this look with each drawer you will need to remove the nob that comes with the cart.
If you start the journey to having a more organized classroom you quickly learn that you need to focus on a lot more than just your own systems. If you want to have an organized classroom you’re going to need to set up systems to keep each student organized. I like putting their writing utensils and scissors into the skinny storage containers and glue sticks/crayons into the square container. I can’t tell you how much time has been saved and how much back pain has been avoided by not having to pick up as many pencils on the ground.
Grouping students is one of my favorite ways to arrange student desks. For this arrangement I like using desk caddies to hold student supplies. The 3 segmented caddy works great as a community supply bin. When I use this system in the classroom I have my students put their pencils, crayon boxes, and glue sticks in the caddy. The scissors were kept in a box next to my desk. More importantly, I like the handle at the top which allows the students to easily transport them. These caddies come in a 6 pack with every color imaginable.
We all know that timely feedback is a critical component in determining which students are on track and which students might need tutoring as an intervention. The problem is getting the papers back on time so that parents can see how their student is progressing.
The easiest way that I’ve found to central collecting papers AND passing them back is to use the mail slot organizer shown below. To collect papers, I have students turn in their papers at the bottom of the mail slot that is labeled “classwork”. When students finish their assignment they put all the papers into that slot.
After I have graded them I put them into the folder labeled “Paper distributor” which is a job I give one of my students to complete before students pack up. This automatizes passing back the papers and avoids long periods of class time or precious time after school being used to organize the papers yourself.
To help the paper distributor, I give every student their own slot and organize them in ABC order. (Pro Tip: put the student’s names on the back of a binder clip so that you can easily move the names when you get a new student.) At the end of the day I let the paper distributor move the papers to the appropriate folder so that the students can take the papers home in their folder at the end of the day.
I also place the homework assignments in the paper distributor’s slot when I finish grading them. Having all of the classwork being collected and distributed in a central location helps me avoid feeling overwhelmed and carrying huge tubs of paper home over the weekend.
While this object is definitely an investment you will thank yourself 10 years down the road when you aren’t pulling out your hair just trying to return papers quickly. I know the price of the mail slot pictured below is very pricey. If you want to use this system but can’t shell out big money, there is a cheaper option.
Anybody else ever get home from a long day at school and find that not only are your hands covered in expo marker ink, but your pockets are full of markers? Worse yet, have you ever accidentally put some markers through the washer?
I love this white board organizer so that I have a central place for all of my markers and erasers to go. The container mounts to the wall so that it is sturdy. I have also found that when I have students answer questions on the board they love picking out their own color from the container.
Pocket charts are incredibly versatile to fit the needs of every classroom. Here are two of my favorite pocket charts to get your daily schedule and general papers organized.
I love displaying the classroom schedule to cut down the number of times I’m asked “When is lunch?” or “When is recess?” As a teacher it also keeps you focused on what’s next in the midst of the thousands of things that can demand your attention and distract you throughout the day. The beauty of using this pocket chart is how easy it is to change out the schedule cards when the specials change each day, or for shortened school days. Buy the black pocket chart that matches any classroom decor, and check out the editable colorful schedule cards.
You can never have enough options to manage the flow of papers in the classroom. If you liked the organization idea of the 10 drawer cart, then you’ll love this idea! This pocket chart can be used in the same way AND can save you some money. With 10 pockets, it will work seamlessly and can mount on any wall. You also have a lot of options with utilizing various colored file folders.
Paper, paper, paper oh my! When you signed up to be a teacher you didn’t realize you would have so many sheets of paper to keep track of. Reading and math data, parent contact forms, referrals, lesson plans, copies of worksheets, and so many more! I like to use these expandable file folders as a way to keep track of some of these papers.
The fact that they expand as they fill up allows me to save space until later in the year when I need the extra space to file papers. Also for those crazy weeks when you have to carry papers home you have small file folders you can use to keep the papers organized instead of trying to haul pieces of a filing cabinet home. With 19 sections you will have space for everything imaginable!
Team purse or team backpack? Here is my favorite bag that can carry your laptop, your empty tumbler, your lanyard and all the other essentials from the car to the classroom. This stylish backpack has 21 different color options and has a built in USB charging port!
I hope this list has inspired you to create an organized classroom! I would love to know, what’s in your amazon cart to organize your classroom? Share with us all below!
