The 3 Keys to Preschool Summer Organizing

For 8 years, I worked in school year only programs.  

This meant the preschool summer organizing involved "closing up the classroom" so to speak, after the end of the year celebrations. 

It involved packing up posters, pictures, and wall calendars.  

It meant deciding which items we would need to get to first at the end of the summer to plan for the new school year.  

It meant creatively packing our materials in a very small area.  

Here are some ideas and tips on preschool summer organizing!

Where is my desk????

For several of those 8 years, the program I worked in was a church ministry. Our classroom was a dedicated space for our preschool during the school year but was used in the summer for church programs.

When our classroom space was used by other groups during the summer, more than just taking decorations off the wall was needed.  Closing up our classroom in that program consisted of putting all materials, manipulatives, games, etc. away in our closet—everything except for the tables and chairs. 

Nothing else was left in our room.  During those years, the storage area was my office!  I was lucky to find my computer during the summer!

Summer organizing can be a challenge!  It is also an opportunity!  

This is a great time to clean/sanitize manipulatives and other toys and materials.  CLICK HERE to read my article on toy cleaning/sanitizing disinfecting and a rotation schedule.

And, those tables, I'm sure could use a good cleaning...check out my video on what I found cleans tables the best!  It's a great time to count puzzle pieces and let go of incomplete ones!  It's a great time to say goodbye to items that have had that ONE missing piece all year!

Take inventory!  Keep a list. Here are the 3 Keys to getting organized this summer.

1.  Location, Location, Location!

It's not just a real estate phrase!  Where do you store everything?  Do you have a closet?  An office?  A cabinet?  

Organization is important for any program and especially when you close up your classroom for the summer.

You need to be able to locate it when you need it!

Label every box and bin.....really!  EVERY box and bin!  

These are the bins I LOVE! I have one for each day of the week so everything for each day is at my fingertips!

You can be as detailed or as general as you wish but, if you want to find something quickly in the summer, put a label on it!

If you have a lot of math and manipulatives in one box or bin you can simply label it "Math and Manipulatives" or you can be more detailed such as:

Math and Manipulatives Box:

Puzzles

Tangrams

Dinosaur Sorters

Teddy Bear Sorters & Counters

Muffin Tins

Candyland Game

Chutes and Ladders Game

Choose one way to organize each box and stay consistent! 

2.  Make a "New School year List" and check it twice!  ;)

The 2nd key is to figure out what you will need before the class is open.

Think about late summer.  Which items do you wish you had before your program opens?  

Make a list of those items that you have needed and wished were NOT in that box.......way over there.......behind all the riding bikes.....

Also, make a list of items you will need to replace when the new year begins.

Some items on my list to pack closest to the door or purchase new were:

Student information from last year (for outreach)

Preschool Themes files

Preschool Activity Resources

Planning Book

Markers, pens, pencils, staplers, etc.

Pack these items together in one box and label it.  I have labeled such a box "LEAVE THIS BOX NEAR DOOR!!" 

3. Inventory

The 3rd key is knowing what you will need in the fall.

Although many of you or your directors order replacement supplies near the end of the school year, there will be other things that are running low or need to be replaced that you forgot about. 

You will know remember it as you are packing up the classroom.  Keep a list!

Are you running low on supplies or materials?  Will you need puppets, manila folders, or pom-poms next year?

Or, will you need paper towel tubes and coffee cans next year?

Write a list!  This is the time to not only pack away the water color paints, but to look at them and see if they need to be replaced.

Which colors of paper are you running low on?

Before you pack those bins of markers, test them...are any dried out?  And then list new markers on your list!

Now You're Ready To Start the New Year With What You Need Accessible

You will, whether you've decided to not think preschool all summer or not!-- need SOMETHING from your classroom at some point while it is closed.

If you have your materials packed and labelled, have the primary fall planning materials you'll need easily accessible and have a list of items you need to order when you return, you will be ready to hit the ground running when you open your classroom for a new school year.

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