A lot of people ask me how I store materials in the classroom, and many people want details. Here are some photos that show ways I organize the “hidden” materials, and in a future post, I’ll show our everyday supplies.
The simple trick to organizing is to put like things together. I know that sounds so obvious. In my Pre-K classroom, the main things I need to store are:
- materials for each center
- materials I use each month
- materials for changing dramatic play
- teacher’s supplies
First, I separate the center materials from the monthly materials from the dramatic play materials. Then, I divide those up, so that I have separate storage places for the blocks center, science center, art center, etc. Some teachers might separate their thematic materials, but I choose to put those in boxes by month.
This is what the storage space for my current classroom looks like. Instead of a closet, I have these large shelves with the cabinets on the sides.
At a previous school, I had a roomy closet down the hall, and before that I had no storage space at all. So I empathize with those who have no storage.
In the photo above, these cardboard boxes contain center materials, monthly materials, and dramatic play materials.
Organizing Center Materials
I change out some of the center materials each month, with my themes. I organize and store Center materials in these boxes. These are inexpensive (less than $1) cardboard shipping boxes that I painted white and put scrapbook paper on to decorate. I have a box for almost every center: math, literacy, science, blocks center, sensory table.
This is the type of thing I store in the boxes of Center materials. These collections of animals are stored in the Blocks Center box. I change out these and other items for our different themes.
Organizing Art Center Supplies
Since I have so many more supplies for the Art Center than any other center, I chose to use one whole closet for art supplies. On the door, I have shoe pockets with markers and a few other art supplies. The pockets on the 4th and 5th rows are where I store labels for each center.
Inside the art supply closet, I store things like extra colored masking tape, crayons, bingo dot markers, paintbrushes, colored sand, play dough, beads, craft foamies, glitter glue, liquid watercolor paint, and lots of other stuff. The inside is organized, but it is packed full.
Organizing Materials for Each Month
The boxes above the Center boxes contain materials that we use each month.
This is an example of the type of stuff I have in the April box (and each month is similar). I have Easter puzzles, play dough mats, foamies, stickers. I also have things for our Bug Theme, which we do during the month of April.
Organizing Dramatic Play Materials
I change out our dramatic play area once a month, and each of those centers has its own box. These boxes are stacked on top of the month boxes. Here’s an example of my Garden Shop Dramatic Play box:
This box has things like plastic flower pots, aprons, seed packs, garden gloves, knee pads, shop signs, artificial flowers, etc.
Organizing Teacher Supplies
The other closet holds all of our teacher supplies. Cleaning supplies are at the top, out of the children’s reach. This closet is also where I keep tape, staplers, scissors, hot glue gun, card stock paper, laminating sheets, pocket charts, notepads, pens, cooking kit, and more. I have these mini drawers to store things like staples, paper clips, safety pins, and other small things. The blue baskets are great for containing things like zip lock bags and the cleaning supplies.
Organizing Stickers
I used an index card file box to organize the stickers. The dividers are index cards with tabs on them, and the stickers are organized by holiday or theme.
Fabric Bins: Hiding the Junk!
Here’s what happened with my filing cabinet this year: on the top, I had collected a pile of books, papers, and all kinds of stuff that comes my way during the year, and it looked junky. I had bought these fabric bins for my closet at home, but ended up taking them to school to hide all that stuff. I love the motto “everything has a place”. I just lack enough places. These fabric bins are very roomy and perfect for hiding stuff. (My file cabinet could use a makeover, but I’ll have to save that for another day.)
I previously wrote about Storage Organization here, which shows how I store my children’s books and other things I store at home. If I buy something with my own money, I store it at home. If I buy something with school money, I store it at school. No doubt about it, I own too much school stuff.
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Thank you so much for sharing. I am moving out of my spacious room with a huge closet, cabinets to a very small portable with no storage. This will help me to get organized. I too have way to much stuff. Would you ever post pictures on how you layout your classroom with area for centers?
Thanks Leah! I’ll try to do that sometime this summer. I’ll have to get the dimensions of the room and furniture.
Thanks for sharing these ideas, this is a challenge for many teachers. They have a lot of materials but keeping them organized is difficult because of space.
Thanks,
WOW… I love your ideals .. i can’t wait to change my daycare around I have so much clutter and my home is overwhelmed .
This is very inspiring, just wondering if your shelves and closets are ones that you purchased somewhere, or they are just handmade designs? I would love to have a closet and shelve system for our toy/school room at home…but shelves are so expensive! Thanks.
Thanks Michelle! It’s an old school building, and the shelves were built in years ago. I’m sure something similar could be built in your home — hope you can find the right carpenter to do it!
IKEA has a Kallax (sp?) line that is close to what is pictured here. About $130 for the 16 cube unit. But thank you for the breakdown of how you organize materials.
It’s a never ending battle!
Thanks for all these wonderful ideas. I love how neat everything looks. I’m a very organised person, but I’ve got nothing on you!! 🙂
Thank you, Patricia! People tell me I’m organized, but I still manage to lose things all the time. 🙂
What WONDERFUL ideas!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
thank you for sharing these tips
Awesome! Thanks for this piece. Had been longing for something like this.
Thank you! Glad it’s helpful!
Great ideas! I love to be super organized. Do you have any ideas for preschools who share space with a church? I have a few cabinets but most of everything at school has to be put away on Wed. and Fridays. I have lots of things at home and every week have to lug them back and forth. My husband has build a shed for some of the things. I also have way too much stuff I store at home. I love your site and use many ideas. I have been a prek teacher for 28 years and always love new ideas! Thanks
We share space with Sunday School and it’s tough because the furniture requirements are different. The preschool uses small tables and the Sunday school requires large long tables. The rooms are SMALL.
We do have a storage room in another section of the church, but it has become a ” catch all” and doesn’t get used as efficiently as it might.
Hi Patty! I’ve never been in that situation before, but is it possible to cover the shelves with a curtain or sheet where they won’t be bothered by other groups in the room? I’ve also seen shelves with hinges where the two shelves are hooked together — you open them, and then close them and lock them when not in use. Like this one, there’s a latch on the end that you can put a lock on: Lakeshore Fold & Roll Shelf
This site is fabulous it always works
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing
THANK U SOOO MUCH IT IS A WONDERFUL WORK
Wow! I NEED you to come help me figure out how to get organized. It looks so Overwhelming to get started. I love the way you have everything so organized.
This comment just put a grin on my face when I saw who wrote it. Kimber, you are organized! I’m right down the hall from you if you need me, though. 🙂
Oh, I love your ideas Karen, especially your containers. I recommended your site to my friends.
Thank you…..you are a big help.
a great help as always.thanks for sharing
Thank you for the storage idea, I run a small homeschool and it is always good to see storage ideas that I can use. Love the dramatic play ideas I am using the doctor’s office play this month.
Looking forward to more of your post.
thanx very much for sharing the recipe card file box idea for stickers. I have struggled for years with sticker storage. such a simple solution yet so unique.
Thanks for sharing materils and information. I believe we could change our room design.
This is great if you have a decent size classroom.
Love it all. You said the boxes were shipping boxes. What kind and how big?
They are cardboard boxes that are 16 inch cubes. They were less than $1 each at Walmart, in the dept that has shipping supplies such as boxes and shipping tape, etc. I painted them with white tempera paint.
Thank you so much I have found so many helpful ideals for my room. I just can’t wait to start using them in my room.
These are great ideas. I’m thinking of doing a Head Start Pre-K position, would these same ideas apply? I know the curriculum may be different.
Thank you so much, Karen!!! I like to be creative as I engage the children with many opportunities for exploration and learning, but I am sorry to admit that creativity has not translated to thinking about the best way to store materials in my classroom! Your photos and descriptions have really helped me, especially now, at the start of summer, when I have some time to get ready for the upcoming school year! I really appreciate you sharing your ideas!
Hello,
These tips are really very creative and challenging. Children will learn many things from these tips. I am thinking to follow these tips from today onwards for my students.And I am going to share this article to my friends so that they may also give some innovative and creative ideas to their children.
Thank you so much. Your so organised and wonderful to share with others.
Bless
Paula Hocke Queensland Australia