Getting through a tough assignment can sometimes be just half the battle. Helping your kids learn to keep track of homework and develop organizational skills is arguably as important as helping them do the homework in the first place.

Here are some homework organization tips that will help your child’s assignments make it back to the classroom.

Keep a calendar.

The most important aspect of homework is time management. You can’t expect your kids to complete their assignments without setting aside dedicated time for the purpose.

Once your kids get into the practice of keeping a schedule, it will become a habit you won’t need to enforce. Until then, a visual aid can do the trick.

Create a massive calendar in the kitchen or wherever the nerve center is at your house. Resist the urge to doodle on it as you wait on hold with the cable company. You need to keep it visually sharp.

Have your kids write their assignments on color-coded sticky notes, and put those on the calendar. Make sure to note fun upcoming events on the calendar too, such as outings, sports, activities, days your child’s instrument goes to school, play dates, and allowance earnings.

You might also consider using this area to hang the weekly spelling list. If not, it can go up on the refrigerator, pantry door, or car visor. You’ll see it often, and so will your child.

Sort work into folders.

It’s a good idea to create two folders with the labels “back to school" and “stay at home." Assignments should be sorted accordingly, and your child should put the “back to school" folder in her backpack every morning.

Put old assignments in the scrap-paper box. When your child brings home completed assignments and tests, you should go over them together. But after that, take them out of circulation.

Have a homework corner.

Have your child do her homework in one place so that it if an assignment goes missing, it will be in the general area where homework was done, and not floating around your house.

Take other things off the desk so that it is a clear place to work. Have a supply drawer nearby. It can contain school stuff, such as extra notebook paper, folders, spiral notebooks, pencils, scissors, and glue. This way, your children will know where to find their materials.

For more tips, check out our article about how to teach your child how to be organized at home.