These Drawer Dividers Helped Me Organize a Homework Station for My Kids
When my twins started kindergarten last year, they didn’t have much homework apart from a few special projects around the holidays. So when they entered first grade a few months ago, I was a bit surprised by how much homework they were assigned each week. But the amount of supplies needed to complete some of the assignments was even more unexpected! Some of them are standard items like pencils, erasers, crayons, and lined paper, but others are things that help make homework time go more smoothly, like math cubes, number lines, and small dry-erase boards.
Getting kids motivated to do homework is already an uphill battle, and having to gather all of the various items each night only added an element of dread to the task. My kids would spend nearly half of their homework time tracking everything down, and by then they (and I) were totally over it. That’s why I decided to create a homework station, where I could store all of the materials in one convenient place, and eliminate the nightly hassle of searching for supplies.
I started by clearing out the drawers of a wooden console table in our living room, as that’s the space where they tend to do their homework. Then I took measurements to see what kind of dividers could fit inside the drawers. After assessing the dimensions of what supplies I’d need to store, I ordered these stackable drawer organizer trays. Even though my drawers aren’t large enough to take advantage of their stacking function, they ended up being the perfect product to house all of our homework supplies.
There are nine pieces included in the set, and I especially love that they’re various sizes. The longer trays are just the right size to hold pencils and markers, while the shorter trays can accommodate lots of crayons. Erasers and pencil sharpeners fit perfectly inside the small square holders, and the larger tray comes in super handy for storing math cubes. I even had enough space left over to tuck other lesser-used school supplies into the drawers, like scissors, glue sticks, and paper clips.
Being someone who appreciates aesthetically pleasing products, I especially love the clean and modern lines of these trays. I opted for the forest green color, but there are four other colors to choose from: black, white, dusty rose, and navy blue. More importantly, though, they are very sturdy, and not at all flimsy like other plastic organizers I’ve used in the past.
Setting up a homework station turned out to be one of those small decisions that ended up having a big impact on my family’s day-to-day life. Not only did organizing the school supplies into separate containers make them easy to find when homework time rolls around, but it also makes it quick and easy to clean it all up once it’s done. The process from start to end is just so much smoother and, better yet, my kiddos don’t resist doing homework nearly as much as they used to.
Buy: CHANCETSUI 9-Piece Stackable Drawer Organizer Tray Set, $26.99