The messy student’s guide to order: ADHD organising tips
Chaotic desk? Forgotten homework? Missed deadlines? Your child needs these ADHD organising tips ASAP — start by colour coding their folders, buying them an easy-to-use organiser, or trying these other ADHD-friendly strategies.
ADDitude Magazine
Updated on July 26, 2021
The challenge: Your child forgets to bring the right books and supplies home or to school. Their school supplies — desk, locker, backpack, and notebook — are in disarray. They forget deadlines and scheduled activities.
The reason: The neurological process that lets us organise, prioritise, and analyse is called “executive function.” Children with ADHD and related neurobiological problems experience executive dysfunction due to abnormal dopamine levels in the frontal lobe of the brain.
The obstacles: Punishment will not change disorganised behaviours that are related to brain pathology, only strategies for disorganised students will. It’s confusing to teachers and parents when students with ADHD are inconsistent in their ability to organise because it may seem like the child is just “sloppy” or “lazy.” If a child handles one task in an organised way, it’s tempting to believe they could always be organised if they want to be, but that’s not necessarily the case.
ADHD organising tips for the classroom
Children who take ADHD medication may show some improvement in their ability to stay organised; however, they still need teachers and parents to provide support and teach them essential life skills. The key to helping kids stay organised is constant communication between teachers and parents.
—Provide additional supplies. If possible, provide the student with two sets of books and supplies — one for home and one for school. This way, there is less for the child to remember to bring back and forth to school which will also help conserve the child’s mental energy for their most important task: learning.
—Use the right supplies. Have children with ADHD use assignment notebooks with larger-than-usual spaces in which to write. Also, if the child tends to cram and stuff papers in their folders, a binder with pocket-type inserts in which to stuff papers may work better than the standard three-ring binder with tabbed sections.
—Give assignments in writing. If printed instructions aren’t possible, check that the child has written down the entire assignment and seems to understand what they need to do at home.
—Colour-code books and supplies by subject. For example, use yellow for all geography book covers, notebook dividers, and files; use red for everything that's related to history class, and so on.
—Design a folder system that works. If students with ADHD misplace or forget assignments with your standard folder system, work with the child to come up with a system that works for them. It may take time and experimentation, but keep trying, and listen to the student— kids often come up with their own good ideas.
ADHD organising tips at home
Organisational skills rarely come naturally. Consider yourself and your child’s organisation and spend some time teaching them the basics of planning and organisation. Involve them when setting up organisation systems so they are invested and allowed to make choices and decisions. Help your child practice their skills on a regular basis, and follow through with the systems you create together.
—Enforce time concepts. Understanding time is essential for students with ADHD to learn to keep on task and stay organised. Help your child practice by giving specific verbal cues — first, next, then, before, after — as you develop a routine. Make it fun: “First do ten jumping jacks, then write your name backwards,” and have your child give you directions as well. A child who masters the concept of a sequence will be better able to organise and prioritise tasks.
—Make a calendar. Calendars offer multisensory learning opportunities by being a visual record of activities that you and your child write down and cross off, and it prompts auditory reinforcement as you talk about the day’s events. Calendars will also help your child develop other skills, like accountability because they’ll see when you will, or will not, be available to help with a project, and can plan accordingly and assume their own responsibility.
—Create a filing system. Set up a colour-coded file system, with colours matching the system devised for school, on your child’s desk. They can then easily store all of their science or English papers together in one place. This way, all of their work that doesn’t have to go back and forth each day can be easily found in one place.
—Provide a place for everything. Keep a box for school supplies, a holder for CDs, a shelf for books, a bulletin board for announcements, an under-bed box for old artwork and papers. If your child rejects your efforts to help them stay organised, impose logical consequences like if he loses a CD he has to be the one to replace it.
—Emphasise accomplishments and successes. Praise your child as you continue to work with them on new skills. Your support and perseverance help make organising a positive and effective experience - one that will prove to be a lifetime asset.
ADHD organisation solutions at home: quick tips for parents
—Check assignment books. Double-check your child’s assignment notebooks or planner to make sure that homework is in its proper place once completed. With guidance, they can learn to write down all homework deadlines and avoid last-minute cramming and unpleasant surprises.
—Keep copies of important papers. Make multiple copies of permission slips, event announcements, and other paperwork to post in several areas of the house. These will serve as visual reminders of important dates and deadlines.
—Have a hole punch handy. Keeping a three-hole puncher on your child’s desk will help them to make sure that important papers can be easily punched and inserted into their school binder.
—Have a weekly clean-out. Check your child’s belongings daily and help them organise them weekly. Once a week clean out and reorder backpacks, assignment notebooks, and work binders.
Chaotic desk? Forgotten homework? Missed deadlines? Your child needs these ADHD organising tips ASAP — start by colour coding their folders, buying them an easy-to-use organiser, or trying these other ADHD-friendly strategies.
ADDitude Magazine
Updated on July 26, 2021
The challenge: Your child forgets to bring the right books and supplies home or to school. Their school supplies — desk, locker, backpack, and notebook — are in disarray. They forget deadlines and scheduled activities.
The reason: The neurological process that lets us organise, prioritise, and analyse is called “executive function.” Children with ADHD and related neurobiological problems experience executive dysfunction due to abnormal dopamine levels in the frontal lobe of the brain.
The obstacles: Punishment will not change disorganised behaviours that are related to brain pathology, only strategies for disorganised students will. It’s confusing to teachers and parents when students with ADHD are inconsistent in their ability to organise because it may seem like the child is just “sloppy” or “lazy.” If a child handles one task in an organised way, it’s tempting to believe they could always be organised if they want to be, but that’s not necessarily the case.
ADHD organising tips for the classroom
Children who take ADHD medication may show some improvement in their ability to stay organised; however, they still need teachers and parents to provide support and teach them essential life skills. The key to helping kids stay organised is constant communication between teachers and parents.
—Provide additional supplies. If possible, provide the student with two sets of books and supplies — one for home and one for school. This way, there is less for the child to remember to bring back and forth to school which will also help conserve the child’s mental energy for their most important task: learning.
—Use the right supplies. Have children with ADHD use assignment notebooks with larger-than-usual spaces in which to write. Also, if the child tends to cram and stuff papers in their folders, a binder with pocket-type inserts in which to stuff papers may work better than the standard three-ring binder with tabbed sections.
—Give assignments in writing. If printed instructions aren’t possible, check that the child has written down the entire assignment and seems to understand what they need to do at home.
—Colour-code books and supplies by subject. For example, use yellow for all geography book covers, notebook dividers, and files; use red for everything that's related to history class, and so on.
—Design a folder system that works. If students with ADHD misplace or forget assignments with your standard folder system, work with the child to come up with a system that works for them. It may take time and experimentation, but keep trying, and listen to the student— kids often come up with their own good ideas.
ADHD organising tips at home
Organisational skills rarely come naturally. Consider yourself and your child’s organisation and spend some time teaching them the basics of planning and organisation. Involve them when setting up organisation systems so they are invested and allowed to make choices and decisions. Help your child practice their skills on a regular basis, and follow through with the systems you create together.
—Enforce time concepts. Understanding time is essential for students with ADHD to learn to keep on task and stay organised. Help your child practice by giving specific verbal cues — first, next, then, before, after — as you develop a routine. Make it fun: “First do ten jumping jacks, then write your name backwards,” and have your child give you directions as well. A child who masters the concept of a sequence will be better able to organise and prioritise tasks.
—Make a calendar. Calendars offer multisensory learning opportunities by being a visual record of activities that you and your child write down and cross off, and it prompts auditory reinforcement as you talk about the day’s events. Calendars will also help your child develop other skills, like accountability because they’ll see when you will, or will not, be available to help with a project, and can plan accordingly and assume their own responsibility.
—Create a filing system. Set up a colour-coded file system, with colours matching the system devised for school, on your child’s desk. They can then easily store all of their science or English papers together in one place. This way, all of their work that doesn’t have to go back and forth each day can be easily found in one place.
—Provide a place for everything. Keep a box for school supplies, a holder for CDs, a shelf for books, a bulletin board for announcements, an under-bed box for old artwork and papers. If your child rejects your efforts to help them stay organised, impose logical consequences like if he loses a CD he has to be the one to replace it.
—Emphasise accomplishments and successes. Praise your child as you continue to work with them on new skills. Your support and perseverance help make organising a positive and effective experience - one that will prove to be a lifetime asset.
ADHD organisation solutions at home: quick tips for parents
—Check assignment books. Double-check your child’s assignment notebooks or planner to make sure that homework is in its proper place once completed. With guidance, they can learn to write down all homework deadlines and avoid last-minute cramming and unpleasant surprises.
—Keep copies of important papers. Make multiple copies of permission slips, event announcements, and other paperwork to post in several areas of the house. These will serve as visual reminders of important dates and deadlines.
—Have a hole punch handy. Keeping a three-hole puncher on your child’s desk will help them to make sure that important papers can be easily punched and inserted into their school binder.
—Have a weekly clean-out. Check your child’s belongings daily and help them organise them weekly. Once a week clean out and reorder backpacks, assignment notebooks, and work binders.
