Simplify + Organize Homework - Put Supplies in a Caddy - Clean Mama

One of my favorite kids’ organizing projects ever has been our homework caddy. It’s a take on the caddies I had at each of my student tables when I was an art teacher. I loved having everything accessible for my students – it kept them at their spots and engaged in the activities at hand. Using this same idea, I put together this little caddy with my oldest kiddos a few years ago and every year right around school supply time we assess it, refill it, and get it ready for the next school year. I posted about it 2 years ago – you can see that post here.

The great thing about a homework or crafting caddy is that it can work for kids of all ages – toddler-high school and beyond that if you are an adult that likes to craft, it can work for you too. Think of what your kids use daily for crafting and homework and gather those things into one place. I use a divided cutlery caddy – you can use a bin, a box, a basket, or any other type of container you can think of. I added mason jars so the kids can grab just one thing from the caddy at a time. We put the caddy on the middle of the kitchen table for homework time and one kid will grab the markers and the other will grab colored pencils and another will grab a pencil. For some reason that one step of extra containment works better for keeping it neat and tidy, easy to clean up and put away. If you don’t want to use glass, use plastic cups for the same idea.

Gather your supplies:

  • caddy/box/basket/bin
  • jars to hold the supplies
  • markers, pens, pencils, crayons
  • rulers, scissors, glue, sticky notes

Homework Caddy - Supplies - Clean Mama

Put your caddy together:

While you’re picking up all the school supplies your kiddos need for the school year, pick up a couple extra boxes of pencils and markers and make a little homework caddy. I’ve found that keeping homework supplies in a caddy makes  homework time a little easier to start and finish. My kids come home from school, have a snack, and start in on the homework. We try to get everything done right away while we’re already at the kitchen table and having a tote-able homework caddy helps us stay organized and efficient. This year I tweaked the caddy and system and thought you might want to see what I put together.

Caddy - Clean Mama

Then I just loaded it up with the supplies that my kids seem to use on a nightly or weekly basis for homework and crafting – markers, pencils, erasers, glue, Post-Its, and scissors. I don’t think we’re ready for back to school quite yet, but at least we have our homework caddy ready!

Homework Caddy - Clean Mama