Organization for preteens and older can be difficult. You have probably found that you need to keep track of your stuff better than when you were a kid. Instead of having your mom or dad remember where everything is or how to find the stuff you need for school and and after school activities, you need to do it on your own. If you want to find an app to help, check out this list. But if you want to try some basic organization strategies for preteens and older, here are a few tips:

Give everything a place.

• Giving everything its own place is a great way to stay organized.
• Make sure all your toys and clothes have a special place.
• Now you will know where everything goes!

Have a place for your most important things.

• Have one special spot where you keep your really important things.
• This can be your school ID, iPod, and anything else that is very important.
• Make this spot near your door, where you will remember to put them once you get home.

Observe your friends.

• Your friends can help you learn a lot of things, including being organized.
• Find a friend in your class who is organized.
• Ask them to show you what they do to stay organized!

Use pictures to stay organized.

• If you can’t remember where you keep things, take a picture of the items in that place.
•  If you can’t remember where you keep your socks, take a picture of your sock drawer.
• Keep these pictures on your phone or iPod so you always have them!

Ask your parents!

• Sometimes parents have trouble staying organized too!
• Ask your parents to get organized with you, and go with them to get baskets or folders!
• That way, you can all get organized together!