Homemade Homework Caddy for Kids

Homework is part of daily life during the school year. If you make it as pleasant as possible, you can help improve your child’s attitude about schoolwork. This is where the homework caddy comes in.

First, think location. Pay attention to where your kids do their best work. Can they concentrate on homework hunkered down on the couch? Do they need to sit at a desk? A table? Wherever they’re happiest and most efficient is where you’ll want to set up their homework caddy.

Caddy specifics will vary from student to student. What helps your child focus and work best? Caddies can be a desk organizer purchased at an office supply store or a cleaning or tool caddy. You can also combine different containers and trays you already have on hand. A vertical file with labeled folders gives different subjects a home. Stacked in-and-out trays will keep homework and other papers in place, while slots for sharp pencils, pens, markers and highlighters are helpful as well. Older students will have calculators and possibly protractors and other math tools. You can also keep a small section of the caddy full of gum or mints, which have been shown to help increase focus and concentration. Your children will know exactly what they need to do their best work, so have them help fill their caddies.

The caddy itself will be portable, so homework location can change as needed. But designating one homework spot offers consistency. You can hang a white board or bulletin board in this area and ask your student to use it to track homework due, test dates, upcoming activities, field trips, sporting events and the like. They can use it as checklist of sorts to track their progress and you’ll have a visual for what is coming up and still needs to be done.