Q&A for How to Organize Your Middle School Binder

Try using folders and envelopes for your papers. Folders can maximize space, and envelopes are great for smaller papers that don’t fit in the binder.

Sure, as long as it feels comfortable in your hand, that's fine. Test it out at home before bringing it to school to make sure you like it. Don't forget that you'll need a steady supply of lead for it.

It really depends on how many papers and folders that your teachers hand out. If they hand out a lot, you may want a binder for each class, but if they rarely hand anything out it would really only be necessary to get one. 2 may work out just fine for your related classes or your before and after lunch classes. Use whatever keeps you organized and happy!

Get a big enough binder and also know how to organize it. For example, if you get a ton of handouts for algebra, but only a few for science, history and English, then try putting algebra in it's own binder and the other three in another binder. Also, be sure to throw out any unnecessary papers.

Check the tips in Become an Organized Student .

Big binders can be helpful, but also floppy and tricky to use. I like to use a couple of small binders that are very sturdy as opposed to a very large binder.

There are other solutions to this problem. Several binders may help, but yes, a master binder is a good thing to have. My 3-inch binder is my personal arsenal. I keep all my notebooks, papers, and most of my school supplies in my binder. It helps me keep track of things because everything related to school, if I need to find it, will be in my binder.

You can keep your sections organized by different subjects, like ELA, math, science, etc.

If that's what you prefer, sure. But if the teacher has specified that they want you to have a notebook for the class, it would be best to get one.

Cover it in washi tape, decals, photos, colored paper, etc. You can even cut out images from magazines and make a collage. Most of these things can either be found around your home or purchased from stores that stock stationery, craft materials, etc. like box stores and online craft stores.

Color code them, or label them. Write reading, math, history, etc. on the sides to help you find them easily.

Try to get the dividers and color code it. Like for science, red. Try not to have loads of random clutter in the binder so you save space. It also helps when you empty out the things you don't need in your binder.

Try to get a hole puncher and punch them so it can connect into the binder. If that does not work, Try to get a rubber strap to close it. Or, if you have lots of extra papers, find some time to organize and see what you don't need.