Looking for ways to get a hold on your classroom table organization? Then you need to check out this post!
Having a great classroom table organization system in place is so important to keep your classroom running smoothly. If you don’t, students won’t know where to find their things, supplies and books will get lost or damaged and you will waste so much time!
As a busy teacher, I know that you might not want to spend the time on this, particularly if you’re already part way though the year. But trust me, any time you put into this will not be a waste!
This post is all about classroom table organization.
The Best Classroom Table Organization:
Having your students grouped into tables is so amazing for lots of reasons. It is great when working collaboratively and also works well in smaller rooms. However, it can cause some problems when trying to work out how to organize supplies and books. When students have their own desk, they often have built in storage for them.
However, I think the benefits of tables outweigh the possible setbacks. Especially if you use some of these classroom table organization ideas!
1. Organizing supplies
When students are grouped at tables, you need a way for them all to have the resources they need on their table. Here are some great ideas you might want to try in your classroom.
Use caddies
Have a caddy for each table to put your classroom supplies in. The handles make them really easy to move around if needed and ones with different compartments are great for keeping supplies organized.
You could buy ones in different colors to differentiate each table too!
You could also give each student their own personal tub as part of your caddy system. They could keep their own pencils and pens in here. This is a great compromise between a whole communal caddy.
Use pencil pots
Pencil pots are a great way to keep communal table resources neat and tidy. Have separate pots for different stationery to keep things looking organized.
You could even put the pots on a turntable so that students can always easily reach what they need!
The only downside I have found with this system is that the pots sometimes get knocked on the floor. And when this happens, supplies go everywhere. That’s why I like to use the Really Useful pencil box to organize supplies because they have the click lid.
Use baskets
Baskets are another great way to organize students’ supplies. Put pencils, erasers and pens in each child’s basket so that they always have what they need.
[Related Post: 26 Genius Classroom Organization Hacks Every Teacher Should Know!]
2. Organizing work books
Use drawer units
As part of your classroom table organization system, you also need to work out where you are going to store your student’s exercise books. I have found that the best way to do this is to invest in some good tray storage (but make sure you are not buying this out of your own pocket because they are expensive!)
I have something similar to this unit in my current classroom:
I assign each table a color and they use that color tray to keep all of their exercise books and work packets. I label each drawer with the book it should contain so they can easily grab the right books for the right lesson.
The tray unit I have has a mixture of deep and shallow trays which works really well as for some subjects we have more work books than others.
If your school is unwilling to purchase you new furniture, you could use these plastic rainbow trays for a fraction of the price, although they don’t look as sturdy.
This teacher has assigned each table group a number and each table has a set of plastic storage drawers to keep their work folders and journals in. You can buy a similar storage drawer unit here on Amazon.
This teacher has her tray unit right next to the table to further eliminate unnecessary fuss when students go to get their resources. Genius!
Use a rolling cart
If there is one thing I think every teacher should have in their classroom, it’s a rolling cart. Seriously, they are so versatile! I use my rolling cart by my desk to help me organize communal classroom supplies but I love the idea of using a rolling cart for each table!
This teacher uses hers to house supplies for each table, as well as their work folders and home folders. I love how it is right next to each table so they can easily grab what they need. If your classroom is on the smaller side, you could always keep these pushed against the wall and students could walk and get what they need between each lesson.
[Related Post: The Cutest Teacher Desk Organization Essentials That Every Teacher Needs!]
3. Keep things tidy
Table trash bins
When you are doing a cutting activity or teaching something crafty, put one of these table trash buckets on each table. Honestly, it sounds simple but it is LIFE CHANGING! No more students heading back and forth to the bin and causing distractions. Your life will be transformed for the better, aha!
Pencil sharpening bucket
If having pencil shavings on the carpet bugs the heck out of you (like it does me!) then you need to have a pencil sharpening bucket on each table. This way, students don’t need to go to the bin to sharpen their pencils or empty the shavings. It can go straight into the pencil sharpening bucket! Then at the end of each day, I go around and quickly empty the buckets into the bin. Genius!
Extra points if you buy a magnetic metal pot because you can attach the sharpener right to the bucket!
