homework binder ideas

Free Printable Student Binder

Student binder printables can help students keep all of their important school and class information organized, setting them up for success from the moment they head back to school!

The student binder printables are baaaaaaccccckkkk! 🙂 Over the past few months, one of the most common questions I have received is, “When are you going to update the student binder?!” Well, I’m thrilled to say that it is here! This year’s binder still features two color scheme options and many, many printable pages that will help you stay organized throughout the school year!

(And even if you’re not a student, there are still some of these printables that you could use too, so don’t run off just yet! 😉

[You can see all 300+ pages of free printables that we offer on the blog in our Free Printable Library !]

Student Binder Supplies

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here .

Before we jump into the binder tour, here are a few of the items you’ll need to put together your student binder:

• A 3-Ring Binder (I like this one and this one .)
• Colorful Tab Dividers (I like these ones with pockets and these ones without .)
• White Tab Dividers
• 3 Ring Binder 3 Hole Punch (I have  this one .)
• I like to use a label maker + clear tape to label my divider tabs.
• Printer- I have this kind . I prefer to print my binder printables at home, but of course you could always send them off to your local print shop or office supply store to be printed as well.

Free Printable Student Binder Pages

A pretty binder cover.

The first thing that any binder needs to have is a pretty cover, and this binder is no exception! I made it bright and colorful with plenty of room for the owner’s name and/or contact information. I printed my cover out on white card stock just to make it a little sturdier.

Class Schedule

Next, I was sure to include a class schedule. You can keep track of what class is happening when, where, and with whom with this simple printable!

Student Binder: Planning

I then divided the binder into a few sections to keep everything neat and organized. The first section is planning, of course!

Goal Setting Sheet

You know I never create a binder without including a goals page! I am kind of obsessive about goals because I really think that they work!

Whether you’re a student or not, it never hurts to write out a few of the things you’d like to accomplish over the next year. I’ve also left room to write out some action steps you can take to get yourself closer to your goals.

Monthly Calendars- Dated and Undated

Everyone– students and otherwise– can always use a monthly calendar. This one includes July 2023-December 2024 for over a full year of pretty planning! And if you’re thinking even further ahead than that, I’ve included undated calendar pages so that you can create a calendar for any year you want!

Two-Page Weekly Planner

Another printable that everyone could use is this two-page weekly planner. Each day is broken down by hour to make it easy to use time blocking or just keep a close eye on your schedule. There is even room at the bottom to set some goals for the week and make notes.

Daily Planning Printable with Time Blocking

If you want to go even more in-depth, you can use the daily planning printable, which has even more room to schedule your time, make note of people you need to contact, and keep track of miscellaneous items in the notes section.

Daily Routines Printable

The final printable in the “planning” section is a daily routines printable. Sometimes it’s helpful to clarify which items need to happen each morning (like packing a lunch or filling your backpack), afternoon (like finishing homework or doing chores), and evening (like picking out clothes for the next day or planning the next day’s schedule). This little printable can help you do all of those things!

Everyone probably won’t need all of these different printables for planning their time, but I wanted to make sure I provided a bunch of different options so each person could choose the printable or printables that would work best for them!

Student Binder: Tracking

There are sooooooo many details to keep track of when you’re in school, and the next section of the binder is devoted to just that.

Assignment Schedule + Exam Schedule

I know I was always overwhelmed on the first day of class when I would get my syllabus from each teacher and immediately be bombarded by assignments and test dates. The next two printables– an assignment schedule and an exam schedule– will help organize those things so you never miss a deadline.

Reading Log Printable

If there is one thing I’m thanking myself for as an adult, it is that I was an avid reader from an early age. I know I’m a former English teacher, so this is expected from me, but reading is so, so, so important! This reading log makes it easy to keep track of your minutes/pages read.

Student Binder: Subject Sections

I divided up the next section of the binder into the different subject areas and included the same few printables in each subject tab.

Grade Tracking Printable

First, I included a grade tracker. It’s never fun to get to the end of the quarter or semester and be surprised by your grade, so this printable will help you keep track of all grades  along the way so you know exactly what to expect.

There is a column to list each grade, and then one to keep a running total on the far right. Print one off for each class and get tracking!

Next I added a simple-but-pretty notes page so you can keep all of your class notes nice and organized. I would print out a bunch of these at a time to have them handy any time I need to take notes in class, make a list, or just get some thoughts down on paper!

Project Planning Printable

My very last printable in each subject section is a project planner. All of those school projects have so many little details, and this printable is the perfect place to keep track of them all! (Plus it’s cute, which always helps! 😉 )

A Second Color Scheme for the Student Binder!

In past years I had several requests from moms of boys for binder printables that weren’t quite so pink! As a fellow boy mom myself, I completely understood the need for more options for boys, so I created a second color scheme option that would work for boys or for girls who just prefer blue to pink.

Free Printable Student Binder: Frequently Asked Questions

I typically update this post every July with calendar printables for dated the upcoming school year. There are also undated calendar printables included with both color schemes, so if you’re thinking ahead to future years, those can help!

These printables are designed to be printed on standard letter-sized paper (8.5″ x 11″).

We sure do! If you’re looking for vertical calendar printables and/or calendars with a Sunday start, you can snag both in this calendar printable post .

You can get both full sets of binder printables sent straight to your inbox via the button below!

The student binder printables are simple, but when used consistently, they can truly help make your school year (and your life!) so much easier!

More Free Printable Binders

• Home Binder
• Budget Binder
• Recipe Binder
• STAY-AT-HOME BINDER

Happy organizing, friends!

266 Comments

My goodness, your printables are so dang cute! My oldest is in preschool, but these will certainly come in handy down the road. Love them!

Thank you, Alli! Mine are little too– we’ll see if they ever take to my printables, lol! Have a wonderful week!

is there any way to update the calendar and printables for college students starting their fall semester in 2016 (:

Hi, Makalla! Look for a new 2016-2017 Student Binder to come out sometime this summer! Hope you’re having a great week!

Thank Goodness I scrolled through the comments, I was trying to figure out how I was going to make it past my summer semester! These are INCREDIBLE! From someone who could NOT get organized for their spring semester…You’re my absolute savior!

Yay! So glad they’ll be helpful for you! Have a great week!

Hi, I am making a student binder for my cousin for her graduation gift. Is there any way you could update the calendar printables for this color scheme and design? Or is there any way I could update them myself with word?

Hi, Sierra! I will probably put out an updated version of the binder in July sometime. Hope you’re having a great week!

Hi! I love your printables, they are so pretty and useful! But i have 1 question, could you publish the same printables but with color for boys? Thank you!

Ooh that is a great idea, Sofia! I’ll add it to my list! 😉 Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Do you have a march month….?

I’m not sure I understand your question?

could you tell me what dividers you ues

Hi, Grace! All the supplies are listed in the post!

Your printables are really cute! How can I get in touch with you? Thanks for your time 🙂

Thanks, Linda! Feel free to email us at hello {at} justagirlandherblog {dot} com.

Have a great week!

Hey Abby can you please help how to decorate my binder and can you also help me find a 2″ 3 ring binder a pretty binder but not expensive and in walmart please I wanna get ready for school.!!! ??☺️

I agree! I’m going into 8th grade and I thinks they will motivate me to work hard thanks!!

I’m not a student, but a teacher and I love your printable. Especially the fact that it is simple and the calendar starts with Monday <3 (I'm from Europe, I'm used to starting with Mon)

Thank you, Noemi! I never know which day to start them! Monday seemed to make sense for this one since it is geared toward the school week. 🙂 Hope you’re having a wonderful day!

I must say I am fairly new to your blog but I am absolutely in love! Thank you so much for sharing all of these amazing resources. The blog looks fantastic, congrats on all the success!

Thank you so much, Lindsey!! So nice to “meet” you! 🙂

I kinda wish I was in school, just so I could use these. :o) Super cute, as always Abby!

Lol! Thank you so much, Leah! You are the sweetest!

Both the former teacher and now parent in me love these! Aside from being beautiful, they help teach our kids time management and goal setting – so important. Great resource Abby!!

Thank you so much, Melissa! That really means a lot! <3 Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Thank for this awesome printable! Have a great week!

I wish I had had these back when I was in school, they are stunning!

Thanks for the printables! I went back to school two years ago to finish my degree, and my 4yo is starting preschool this year. This planner is perfect for organizing my busy class schedule, assignments, and study topics, as well as my family’s schedule and my toddler’s preschool commitments.

I am so happy to have found you. After NOT being a pre-school teacher for the past 15 years, i find myself back in the swing. I have very dated pages and these are so lovely and fresh . I know the parents and the students will enjoy them immensely. Thank you so much for sharing.

Abby, these printable are beautiful! Thank you SO much for sharing them for FREE! My daughter (5th Grader) and I are excited to use them to help keep track of all of her school work! They will also be a wonderful way to manage my volunteer work… and my Mommy work! Again thank you, Abby!

Bless your soul. I was looking for an attractive school printable. I may promote this in a youtube video! Thanks.

Those are really pretty. You do awesome work! Keep it up 🙂 from a university student

These are adorable! Thank you so much~

I was just wondering why with the my weekly planner the numbers on it start at 5? go to 12 then repeat from 1 to 12 again.. Im not sure I get why?

Hi, Sally! Those are hours of the day so that you can time block your tasks if you choose. 🙂 I hope this helps!

Oh I see, I am just used to using the 24 hour clock… 🙂

Hello! I am a current 7th grader and i have been looking EVERYWHERE for organizational supplies for a school binder I was working on. Thank you so much for these printables! I was looking for some stylish, matching, useful prints and you certyainly gave me exactly that! I will be sure to tell ALL of my friends where I got these prints 🙂 THANK YOU!

Yay! So glad they’ll be useful for you, Jordan! Happy organizing!

Abby, I love these! Sure wish I had these when I was in college 😉

Omg you are beautiful 😀

Hi! I’m a current 6th grader, and I LOVE to diy, clean, organize, and of coarse, watch my pet fish.? I absolutely LOVE these printables! I will be sure to print them! School can get very unorganized,so I just love this!? have an amazing thanksgiving!?? Rachel??????

That is awesome, Rachel! I’m so glad that the printables are helpful! You are going to be the most organized person in class! 🙂 Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

Are you going to make planner printables for after July 2016?

Hi, Halie! I will probably make a new Student Binder for next school year. Right now I have a full 2016 planner available at https://justagirlandherblog.com/planner . I hope this helps! Have a wonderful week!

As an online college student, it can be quite difficult at times to stay organized and on track. I ended up downloading the Assignment Schedule, Exam Schedule, and the Grade Tracker. I wish I would’ve seen these at the beginning of my Fall semester but now I have them all ready for the start of Spring semester. Thank you!!

So glad the printables are helpful! Best of luck in the upcoming semester!

What a HUGE help! Awesome design, awesome ideas! Thank you so Much!

I loved your planner! It is amazing! Thank you for sharing it! Pamela Buenos Aires, Argentina

I absolutely love this planner. Is so perfect for students, and ive found so many student planner but none like this one. Sadly I found it a little bit late I’ll not be able to take as much advantage of it as I would have liked. Really hope yo make one for the 2016-2017 school year. If you do I’ll be one of the first ones of getting it! So excited!

Hi Paola! The updated student planner will be available this summer! So glad it’s been helpful to you! ~Abby =)

I’m a college student and I’ve been looking for some studying printables and cannot seem to find any. Need something to organize my notes a little better and I love how you layout your printables. Is this something you’d consider making? PLEASE let me know! Thank you!

Hi Catherine! I’ll add it to my printables suggestion list! Thanks! ~Abby =)

I loved it! I’ve been looking for a while and this one is so complete. THank you! I wonder if your next planner is going to have a similar style? The school year in Argentina starts around March and ends around November (and exams are usually around December/January/February), so technically I can only use half of the planner :'(. And of course… I just found it haha. Nonetheless, I’m going to use it! Thanks!

Hi Carolina! It will be updated this summer and yes the style will probably be similar! Glad you like it! ~Abby =)

I love the printable student binder! Any chance of an update that includes the rest of 2016?or if it already exists could someone please show me where 🙂 🙂

Hi Amanda! The student binder will be updated this summer at some point! I’m glad you’re enjoying it! ~Abby =)

I love your printable student binder 🙂 Awesome! <3 -Sandra

This binder is so cool! One of my friends is a diverse learner and we are try ing to help her. This binder is exactly what we need!!

I love these! Are you going to create a new calendar for the upcoming months?

Hi Mila! The student calendar will be updated in the summer for the next school year. If you’re looking for a printable 2016 calendar, you can find it here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/free-printable-2016-calendar/ . Thanks and have a great day! ~Abby =)

Hi! I will be going to college in the Fall of 2016, will you be making a new set of printables with the updated calendar dates? Thanks! I love this

Yes! You can expect to see an updated set sometime this summer! Hope you’re having a great week, Cassie!

Hey! I really loved your student binder printables from this year 😀 I know it’s kind of early but could you make the calendars and stuff with dates for next year? It’s my senior year next year and I just want to get a head start on organization. Anyway, thanks for making so many awesome binder print outs, I find them very helpful! Thanks, Nicole 🙂

Hi, Nicole! The student binder will be updated this summer. Glad you enjoy them! Have a great week!

I was just looking through these and think they’re adorable!! I wish I saw them last year, now I can’t get the calendar but all the other things are SOO adorable!!

Thanks, Natilee! The student binder will be updated this summer so, maybe you’ll be able to use it next year. Thanks for stopping by!

Hi! All these printables are adorable! I want to make this planner for my daughter’s high school graduation… Are you going to be updating the calendar for the upcoming school year? Also, is there any way to edit them for her specific needs?

Thanks for making these! ?

Hi, Emily! The student binder will be updated this summer! It is not editable at this point. Thanks and have a great week!

Hi Abby! I absolutely love your student binder printables! They are so cute! I was wondering when would you have an updated printable of the student binder calendar? You currently have August 2015 – July 2016. Wanted one through July 2017 is possible. Thanks a million!

Hi, India! The student binder will be updated this summer! So glad you are enjoying it!

I love your student binder, however I’m not a student I’m a high school teacher, I would love a grade sheet for me to keep track of student grades on paper to match my student binder (which I have made my teacher binder)

Thanks for the suggestion, Tiffani! We’ll keep that in mind when updating the binder this summer. Have a great week!

Thank you for sharing this and for making them free. I am hoping to be better organized this summer and fall semester.

I assume this are geared towards having them all in one binder rather then in the binders for each college class?

You can use them however they will be the most helpful for your, Rachael! 🙂

Do you have the 2016-2017 calendar? If not, can you tell me when it will be available?

The planner will be updated this summer!

hi i am in love with your blog and thanks for the binder can i get the calender of 2017 to 2018 and 2018 to 2019

Those are not available yet. We update the student binder each summer. Thanks!

Hi Abby! I noticed that the binders you recommended were 1″ but I was wondering if that is the size binder you recommend or would a larger one would work better? Thank you!

Hi, Shannon! I use a one inch binder, but you can use whatever size works best for you. Happy organizing!

Hi I really like this student binder! I was wondering when you will post the updated version of it for this coming Year 2016-2017.

Hi, Chanelle. There was actually an update in the post. You can find it here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2017-Monthly-Calendar.pdf . Thanks!

I’m a Senior in High School this year and I’m starting to look around for college ideas. Came across this binder and it is probably the greatest idea I’ve seen! Saving this for when I start college!

So glad you like it, Kalysta!

This is so pretty…I almost wish I was a student so that I could use it myself! 🙂

This binder is perfect for my daughter who is just about to start high school! She really likes the layout and I love the useful pages. Thank you!

When will all 2017 binder items be available?

Hi, Donna! It has been updated and can be found here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/printable-student-binder/ . Scroll down and you will see the 2017 calendar.

First of all, I wanted to thank you for creating something as beautiful as an Erin Condren LifeBook for students, for free. I love it! Secondly, I wanted to ask why the weekly plan pages start with the number 5 and go to 12, then start over at 1? I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of why but can’t figure it out! Thanks!

Hi, Katherine! Those numbers are for time blocking. So you can schedule in what you plan on doing at 5 am to noon, and then it starts again for 1 pm. I hope this helps! Have a great day!

I found your blog not too long ago while looking for some organization tips and subscribed right away. I was so excited to see the information about the student binder in my email today. My oldest daughter and I both have ADHD and organization/follow through is the area we struggle with the most. She will be starting 7th grade next month and we can’t wait to see how well this works for her. Unfortunately our attempts to keep her organized and prepared for school last year were not successful. Thank you!!

I used this last year and I love it. Your printables inspire me to get stuff done

I LOVE this! I am a mom of 2 little ones, I work from home on the weekends, I’m starting a blog (still preparing for launch), and I’m going back to school for my master’s degree next semester. So to say the least I am BUSY! The idea of going back to school has intimidated and overwhelmed me. But this planner makes me feel so much better! I can definitely use this to help organize the many components on my plate. So thank you!

Love all your printables, Abby! You can tell you put a ton of work into creating this!

thank you abby for the printable, i think this will help my 3rd semester a lot. But, can i print it on A6 planner? I have A6 binder. Usually i printed it on my B5 paper, but i would like to make my B5 binder to be college binder. could it be possible for to print it on A6 paper? Thank you 🙂

Hi, Yasyfin! Sadly these printables are just in the standard 8.5″ x 11″ size. I would guess you could find a student binder in the A6 size on Etsy. Have a great semester!

These are great! Starting off as president or another officer for many clubs this year, this will help me keep track of everything while still saving me money, thanks for this!

So glad it’s helpful for you, Angelyn!

Hi, I love this binder!! I’m a student and can not wait to use this once school starts! I want to print this in a printing place like FedEx of something but I’m not sure what kind of paper to use. i was wondering if you could recomend which one would be best(30% recycled, 100% recycled, lazer 24 lbs, lazer 60 lbs, lazer, or gloss??) Thanks

Hi, Tali! The paper I usually use to print at home is 20#, 92 brightness, so it seems like the 24# would be closest to that. I hope this helps! Have a great day!

I’m entering my Freshman year, and this is just what I was looking for! These are so cute, and my style, too! And I’m even more happy about how they are free! Thank you soo much!

Thank you so so so much for doing this! It will be such a huge help this school year. Also, I absolutely fell in love with your fonts and was wondering what fonts you used for this? Thanks!

Oh my gosh, I love love love all of your organization tips and printables! They are so cute! You have inspired me to put my life in order:) Thank you so much for making and posting these. They will be so very helpful this school year. Just wondering- what fonts did you use for the school binder printables? Thanks again, Harmony

These are awesome! Do you use premade templates? Or come up with your own designs? Your printables are always adorable

Thank you so much, Kimberly! I come up with my own designs! Then sometimes I’ll do different versions of the designs that I really like. I hope this helps! Have a great day!

These printables are truly amazing! I will be a junior this year and these will definitely come in handy. Thanks!

These are absolutely awesome and adorable! I’m such a procrastinator and so unorganized and I think these will definitely help change that this semester and all the ones to come!! Thanks!

So glad you like them, Morgan!

Hi Abby, I have been trying to print the binder stuff and it let me print the calendar but not the rest of it. Can you help me? I just love this, and would really like it for 4 of my grandchildren. Sincerely, Christine

Hi Chistine! Can you email us at [email protected] and give us more details about the trouble you’re having? We will try to help out and we check email multiple times a day so it will be much faster to get through to us. Thanks!

Hi Abby, You student binder is just what we needed this year! Happy to be getting us all organized in our homeschool and have it all look fabulous. I’m actually at a planning weekend and just noticed the 2017 calendar runs Monday to Sunday rather than Sunday through Saturday. Funny I didn’t notice that in the picture you posted. Thanks for getting us off to a great start for 2016/17!

I love your files, but after I download the pdf it will not print. other files from other sites do. uh.

If you download the file to your desktop and open it with the default PDF viewer on your computer, you shouldn’t have any trouble printing from there. Please email [email protected] if you are still having trouble. Thanks!

How do you create your own printables? I’ve looked everywhere and I can’t find a free and easy way to create my own schedule. I need to be able to edit it every once in a while for school. Please help!

Hi, Kathryn! Are you a subscriber of Just a Girl and her Blog? If so, you can login to the printables database and there is a free PDF on how to create your own printables. If you’re not a subscriber, you can gain access here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/get-organized/ . Have a great day!

Abby, Thank you SO MUCH for all of the time and effort that you’ve put into creating these pages and offering them for free. I am ever so Grateful. I am starting to HOMESCHOOL for the first time this year and I believe these printables will aid me with this endeavor.

Yay! So glad they will be helpful for you, Kim! Love to hear that! Have a great weekend!

I love this! Would you mind if I use a link to this post and a picture from it for a “back to school” round up post I’m working on?

That would be great. Thanks for checking, Charlene!

Hi Abby! I loved this!!!!! Is there an option to print this 5.5 × 8.5? The so much, Martina (from Argentina)

Hi, Martina! The student binder is only available in full size at this time. We do have a planner that is available in 5.5 by 8.5 that you can find here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/organize . Thanks and have a great evening!

Hi Abby! Let me start off with “I LOVE YOUR BLOG” it is amazing. I just stumbled upon your blog by accident, but I found it very intriguing and I cannot get enough of it. I just want to say I love your student planner. I have been looking for one that will fit my busy schedule for college. Again thanks and you are doing a wonderful job!!

You are too sweet! Thanks so much, Ramona! I’m so glad it will be helpful for you! Have a great school year!

I used the Exam and Project printouts back in Spring semester and it was super helpful! I ended up printing out enough for each of my classes and sticking them in sheet protectors at the front of each tab for each of my classes. I keep everything logged in my actual planner, but being able to look at what I’ll be doing for the entire semester was great! My classes for Fall start this coming Monday so I’m in organization/prep mod and I immediately came back to your site to get some more printables! I plan to do a short vlog on how I organize for school and I’ll most definitely be living your link on said vlog! Thank you again!

Awesome! So glad they’ve been helpful to you, Taylor! Have a great school year and definitely come back with a link to your vlog! I’d love to see it!

Hi! I adore these printables but just wanted to mention there is a error on the weekly plan. The numbered lines begin at 5.

Hi, Emile! The numbered lines are intended to help you plan out your day hour by hour. Since most people don’t generally wake up before 5 am, I started with 5 on purpose. So sorry for the confusion. Have a great day!

I like your creative binder so much =)) Hope there’ll be a 2017-2018 one too !!! By the way , could you tell me the font of the letters in the binder ? Love it !

Hi Chichay! So glad you like the binder! This one can actually be used any year as most pages aren’t dated and we have included an undated calendar as well as the 2016-2017 calendar! The print font is Futura. SignPainter is the cursive one. Have a great weekend!

Thanks so much , Abby =)) Have a great weekend , too ^^

Hi Abbey ?. I really L.O.V.E the student binder planner. It is amazing. Can you please tell me how to edit the monthly pages in word ? As, our school week starts from Sunday not Monday . If possible i’d like to know . Thnx ? 😉 Summer

Hi, Summer! The binder is meant to be printed out and written on. It is not editable in Word. Sorry!

I LOVE THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You!

So glad you like them, Sydney! Have a great week!

Hi IM FROM SOUTH AFRICA.AND I LOVE THE FACT I CAN JUST PRESS DOWNLOAD AND GET THE PRINT QUICKLY.

So glad it was helpful for you, Cindy!

I was wondering why the weekly plan starts out with a 5? Love these those, they are super cute

Hi, Karen! We just assume that most people aren’t up before 5am so that is why the day starts at 5! 🙂

Oh my goodness these are everything I wanted and needed and more!! I can’t get over how pretty they are, how perfect they are for my school life, and how dang FREE they are!! ? Thanks so much for making these!! I will definitely use them!!

Aw, yay! So glad they will be helpful for you, Megan! Have a great school year!

This is really great! My BFF is a diverse learner and all of my friends and I have been looking for ways to help her. This will work perfectly

So glad it will be helpful! Have a great evening!

I am wondering how to print

Hi, Indya! You can download each page of the student binder individually by clicking the link below each photo, or download the entire binder in one document using the link at the end of the post. Then you just print like you would a normal document. I hope this helps!

Wow! This is exactly what I have been looking for!!!! 2017 is going to be an insane year for our family, this is perfect and really stylist! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So glad it’s helpful, Emma! Merry Christmas!

Can you make a organizational sheet for kids sports?

Ooh that’s a good idea! I’ll add it to my list. Can you tell me a little bit more of what you had in mind? Like keeping track of their game and practice schedules? Or milestones they’re trying to hit in their sport? Or what? Hope you’re having a great day Brandi!

Thanks so much! Have a great weekend!

hi abby, thank you so much for these they are so cute and helpful!! I was wondering when the 2017 one was coming out?? I am from Australia and we start school in a few weeks

Hi, Isshell! If you scroll to the bottom of the post, you can download the entire binder which has been updated for 2017. Thanks!

Hey they look amazing but i dont know how to print them its not working it really sad they are really cute though. i believe they will work very well its sad i cant though

Hi, Maddie! Sorry you’re having trouble. Are you getting an error message? You should be able to download the file and open them in whatever program you use to view PDF’s on your computer and print from there!

I just started my first semester of Nursing school and this printable are great. Thanks! I absolutely love it!!!

Yay! So glad they’ll be helpful for you! Good luck with your first semester!

I love it, thanks I really wanted one of those planners

Yay! Glad it will be helpful for you, Catalina!

I love this binder, it has helped me to be organized in college this semester.

Yay! So glad it’s been helpful for you, Stephanie! <3

Hey are these for half size planners (5.5 X 8.5 inches?)

The Student Binder is full size. We have half size planners here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/organize

Hi Abby, I am a student in high school and one of my goals is making sure that my life is organized. I could not find anything through other websites. But when I searched this morning and looked up life organization binder ideas and saw your blog. When I went into your website it was so simple and so easy to use. I have printed out the things and now going to start but it’s nice that you have them as free printable. I am on spring break right now and trying to organize my life because that was part of my new years revolution but never have been able to and could not find the type I want. So this has been one of the best blogs or organizing websites I have found. Thank you and I love your stuff.

Hi!! What font did you use on the calendar printable?

Hi, Melanie! The script font is called SignPainter and the other one is Futura. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

hey , I love your student planner and I was wondering if you are going to make one for 2017 – 2018.

Hi! Glad you love it! Most of the binder has no dates so it will work for every year but we do update the yearly calendar each year and update that post. There is also a blank yearly calendar included. Thanks!

hi I have another question what type of paper did you use for the planners?

I just use standard copy paper for mine. You can find more info about what I like to use here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/simplify-home-binder-tour/

would cardstock work?

Sure! You can print on any kind of paper you would like!

Just wanted to thank you for these printables. I want to surprise my daughter who will be a freshman in August with a new planner she can personalize and this is just the thing. It’s not so basic like the school planners and she can do so much with it. Thanks!

Yay! So glad they are helpful, Rosa! Congratulations to your daughter!

Hi Abbey, I think your printables are really pretty and practical too. I seem to recall you had some YouTube tutorials on how to create our own using Word, but I cannot locate this? Coukd you please send me the link as it’s holidays here in Australia and I want to have a go at creating my own! Thanks so much!

Hi, Joanne! If you subscribe to our blog, you will be given access to our library of free printables which includes the tutorial you mentioned. Right under the 3 rectangles is the sign up: https://justagirlandherblog.com/ . If you are already subscribed, just look at the bottom of one of our Saturday emails and you will find the link and password. Thanks!

Have a great holiday!

Hi Abbey, I think your printables are really pretty and practical too. I seem to recall you had some YouTube tutorials on how to create our own using Word, but I cannot locate this? Could you please send me the link as it’s holidays here in Australia and I want to have a go at creating my own! Thanks so much!

Hi Abby! I’m back for my third year lol! Just wondering when will you update the calendar for the 2017/18 school year? Thanks for keeping my family so organized❤️

A new student binder will be available next Tuesday! 🙂 Glad it’s been so helpful for your family! Hope you’re having a great week!

Omg! I am in my senior year of high school and these are going to make it so much easier to stay organized. You are my new hero!

Aw, yay! So glad it will be helpful for you! <3

Dear Abby, I love your free student binder coz it will be useful for me. Maraming Salamat po, it means thank you very much in Philippine language. Always a fan of your work. Rennie Lapuz

Aw, so glad! Thanks so much for your sweet message! Hope you’re having a wonderful week! <3

Thank you so much! Just printed the student binder! xxx from Greece with much love!

Yay! So glad! Hope you’re having a great week! <3

Wow that is absolutely beautiful! I love it! Makes me wish I was back in school again! LOL!! I have a question regarding your planners. I am new to planning and just getting ideas if I should go with a binder with all the beautiful printables, or one of those premade types? Or is there a way to work with both of them? You make such great printables and I would love to somehow incorporate them into a premade planner. What I don’t like about the binder type is that it’s so cumbersome because it doesn’t fold in half and takes up more room. So if you have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, Sandi

Hi, Sandi! If your planner had the three rings in it, you could certainly add the printables to it. The new version of our Simplify printables are coming out in a few weeks, and they will include half sheets that fit in a small binder, so that would take up less space if that is the issue you’re having. Happy planning!

This is great! It sometimes takes so much to get students organized and the fact that this is so easily accessible is awesome! Just the fact you can print this out right at home and fill it out makes life 100% easier on individuals.

Aw, good! So glad it will be helpful for you, Charlotte! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Abby- this is amazing!!!! My son will be starting 8th grade in a few weeks and Ive been looking for something “perfect” to helo him get more organized and stay organized!! You never fail to amaze me with awesome printable. Thanks so much

Aw, yay! So glad it will be helpful for him, Carrie! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

thank you so much…it is so nice.

Hi, I love all your printables!!!! they are awesome. I cant seem to get the student binder, when I press the link “I WANT PRINTABLES” nothing happens. Please help I really need this in my life!!!!!

Hi, Heidi! Shoot us an email at hello {at} justagirlandherblog {dot} com and we will get you those printables! Sorry you’re having trouble! Have a wonderful day!

helo abby i dont have email so cant print and sheets out how else can i do it i am a bit stuck because i kind of need them because they will help me out a lot in school please can you reply as soon as posible

Hi, Scarley! Email is the only way we are able to send the files because they’re so big. Maybe see if you can use a parent’s email address?

Hi I am in love with your student binder printable but I am having some difficulty understanding how to print them!

Hi, Nyssa! You should be able to open it and print it with any program that will open a PDF. If it’s not working, try a different program. I’ve heard Adobe Reader works well, but Preview (if you have a Mac) should work just as well. Thanks!

hey abby, love the binder i was just wondering if there is a way to download just one section?

Hi, Isshell. You aren’t able to download only one section but you don’t have to print it all. You can select certain pages in your printer settings I’m sure. Thanks!

Hello! I have a daughter with anxiety / ADHD. She wanted something to keep track of her homework and exams, I am hopeful this works for her as she is entering High School.

Aw, I hope it works for her, too! Have a great school year! <3

Love your organization ideas – so creative! Where did you get the colorful pocket tab dividers used in the pictures above? I love those colors!

Hi, Cydni! Just on Amazon! I have everything linked at the bottom of this post: https://justagirlandherblog.com/simplify-home-binder-tour/

Thanks and have a great day!

Thank you so much for the printable, its just what I needed to help keep myself organized for my classes!

Oh, good! So glad it will be helpful for you! <3

I love this printable! I am ten years old and I love diy and printing out things like this to organize with! Even though I’m homeschooled these will be very helpful! Thank you for making these. Bye the way I subscribed to your channel.

So glad it will be helpful for you, Hannah! And thanks so much for subscribing! Have a great school year! <3

Love these! I’m a teacher in a really low income area and I asked my students to purchase a planner to help them keep track of assignments and stay organized but many of them can not afford one. I will use this for those students.

Aw, good! So glad it will be helpful for them! Have a great year with your students, Kelly! <3

Is there a way that you can send me the student school free printable’s?

Hi, Brianna! Can you let me know what email address to send them to? We tried to send them to [email protected] and it said the email address was not valid. Thanks!

If you could explain to me how to print this that would be great.Love the idea!!!!

Hi, Miranda! What trouble are you having printing?

Hello, I love these printables but as a nursing student A4 size is too big, do you do these in A5 (half letter size) also?

Sorry, Andrea! This is the only size we have available at this time. We have a half sheet organizer/planner here if you’re interested: https://justagirlandherblog.com/get-organized-2018

Have a great evening!

I wanted to ask if there was any chance you could make like divisions for classes with a blank space for us to fill in with the name of the course. It’s just I love your printables, they are so cute and useful and I will never find schemes like yours

Hi, Ariana! That is a great idea! I’ll add it to my list! Hope you’re having a great day!

Thank you so much. I’m so glad you liked my idea! Hope you’re having a great day too!

Thank you soooooooooooooooo much. These printables are so helpful to me and also thank you for making them free to read and enjoy. You are an angel Love you lots XOXO

So glad they will be helpful for you, Athaliah! <3

Hi, I was wondering if you are going to do one for the 2018-2019 school year.

Hi, Kayla! The new binder will be available this summer. Thanks!

Could you make a version of this printable that fits a Create 365 planner? I use that planner all the time and I really like these printables but I di not want to create a separate binder for school. Thanks!- Katie

Hi, Katie! This is the only version of the student binder, but our Intentional Life Planner is available in two sizes. Not sure what size your planner is. You can check it out here: https://justagirlandherblog.com/get-organized-2018 . Thanks and have a great evening!

I don’t know where to find how to print these. I would love to, but it says I have to pay, I thought they were free printable s?

Hi, Lydia! They are free. Sorry you’re having trouble. If you send us an email at hello {at} justagirlandherblog {dot} com we can email you them in PDF form. Thanks!

Hi there. Just stopping by to see if you are planning to make a student planner (blue color scheme) for the 2018-2019 school year. I LOVE your printables.

Hi, Therese! The student binder should be updated by the end of the month. Thanks! 🙂

Hey Abby. I came across your student binder while I was in college. Now I am a teacher and I am going to give my students their very own binders. I have taken a few pages out because they are a younger class. I will let you know how they work out.

Great! Hope they’re helpful for you! <3

These are amazing!! Thank you so much for making these – and in 2 different color schemes!? These will be amazing at helping our family get more organized and in helping teach our children to become more responsible for their grades and projects. I think these will work amazingly well for alll our kids, grades 3rd-7th. I’m probably going to use these in my own lesson planning.?

Yay! So glad they will be helpful for you, Stefani! Love to hear that! Hope you all have a wonderful year! <3

Hi Abby!! I was just wandering if you could inbox me the class schedule, grade tracker, exam schedule, and the assignment schedule printables?

Hi, Aliyah! If you sign up via the form that pops up when you click the button, they should come right to your inbox!

Hi, Aliyah! Did you sign up to receive the binder? We can’t send things separately. They come all together. Thanks!

Thank you so much for the amazing printable. My daughter has dyslexia and organization is a challenge. I hope these will make things a little easier for her. One question… is there a specific reason why the daily and weekly plan start with the number 5 instead of 1? Thanks so much!!!

Hi, Debra! Those are times. We assume not many people are starting their day before 5am! 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing! I share your link with all my Early Childhood Education students each semester, and they love you! Michelle

Aw, yay! That is so sweet! So glad it has been helpful for them! Have a wonderful weekend, Michelle! <3

I am extremely picky when it comes to planners and printables, but this student planner looks terrific! What a wonderful and generous item to offer to your readers. We homeschool, and I am going to use this with my middle schooler and my high schooler. I think it will make my lesson planning simpler. I can just plug the lessons right into their individual planners. Thanks for the blue version. My son would have died rather than use a “My Little Pony” colored planner. Ha! My daughter and I love the colorful version

Thank you so much for your sweet words, Rachel! That really means a lot. I hope the planners will be helpful for you all! Have a wonderful week!

Hi Abby, the link you have to download these awesome printables isn’t there. Would you please check your link? I was soooo bummed to not be able to download these pages. Thanks!

Hi, Melissa! I just checked it and it is working for me. Sometimes if you try to click the link as soon as the page loads, you’ll get an error because the scripts haven’t had a chance to load yet. If it’s not working for you, try to give the page a minute to load, and then click the link, and it should work. So sorry for the confusion!

Thanks much Abby! 🙂

Hey Abby I can’t find where the actual documents are! I used them lady year but can find this one. I can easily view the article but can’t see the actual binder document

Hi, Ranai! You click the big pink button and enter your info, and we will send them your way! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

I’m not even a student but I’m still going to be able to get good use out of some of these. Thanks for making these and especially for letting us just have them for free! You rock.

So glad they will be helpful for you, Sarah! <3

HEYYY! this is absolutely amazing!! Im so thankful for this! should i print it out using the front and back settings?

Hi, Ayra! You can print it out that way if you want to but it’s not really meant to be printed front and back. Thanks!

I love that you have a blue option for my son! Thank you!

Yay! So glad it will be helpful for him!

Yes .Queen .I’m in middle school and i’m just know fining this no joke i just sent this to my friends love this .

Yay! So glad it will be helpful for you and your friends, Chasydi! Hope you’re having a great school year!

Hey Abby! Coming from a teacher of 19 years, teaching students to plan sets them up for success! I love all your ideas and your blog!

I love your printables! Thank you for offering these for free. I am homeschooling my 5 year old this year and I have been searching for free printables to help plan and organize. I especially love that you have blue, my favorite color and have a boy.

Oh yay! I’m so glad that they will be helpful for you! Hope you have a wonderful week!

Well, here I am back again! My Early Childhood majors love your student planner, and I send them your website link every year! Thank you again, Michelle

LOVE to hear that. So glad it is helpful for them. Hope you all have a great year! <3

This is absolutely amazing!! Im so thankful for this. Thanks for making these and especially for letting us just have them for free.

Yay! So glad it will be helpful for you, Olivia!

Have a great weekend!

Hi Abby, Thank you so much for the beautiful design. For some reason I never received the access information to print them out. Please help!

So sorry they’re giving you trouble, Cindy! I just sent you an email with the info!

This is a great resource. I’m just curious what age range you think this would be appropriate for. Thank you!

Hi, Bonnie! I had middle school/high school kids in mind when I created it, but some of the pages could certainly be used with younger students as well. And I’ve had some college students tell me they’ve used it too, so it can definitely be adapted for many ages!

Comments are closed.

Over 6,200 homeschool resources and growing!

How to Build Your Homeschool Binder + Free Cheat Sheets & Dividers

Published: July 26, 2019

Contributor: Bonnie Rose Hudson

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Back to school season is here again for most of us, and do you know one of my favorite parts? School supplies. Seriously. I love going into an office supply store and looking at all the school supplies. And who can resist the smell of new pencils? 

When you’re gathering your school supplies for this new year of homeschooling, one of the items on your list is probably a binder. Maybe it’s a planner for mom or a kids planner . Maybe it’s a binder the kids can store their work in. Whatever kind of binder you’re putting together, we have some free resources and ideas to help you build your own binder.

What’s the purpose of a homeschool organization binder?

Homeschool families often homeschool in the dining room, which means that the kitchen table might be full of papers, planners, and cheat sheets (or is that just me?). If you want to put together the best planner for homeschool , you can find free ones as well as paid ones. In this post we will share with you all sorts of freebies. 

If you are new to homeschooling, these posts may be super helpful to you:

• How to Start Homeschooling: All You Need to Know – If you are wondering how to homeschool , this is where to start.
• The Many Benefits of Homeschooling Your Children – There are so many benefits of homeschooling . This post covers them.
• Deschooling: Transitioning to Learning at Home – If you are transitioning from public school to homeschool, learn about deschooling .
• How to Create a Homeschool Space Your Kids Will Love – Discover all sorts of great homeschool room ideas for all budgets.
• How to Create a Homeschooling Schedule That Works – Learn how to create a homeschool schedule that works for your family.
• Homeschool Record Keeping: What You Need to Know – Discover all you need to know about homeschool record keeping . 
• Homeschool Co-Ops: What You Need to Know – Should you join a homeschool co op ?

What’s in a Homeschool Binder?

A homeschool binder system is like the command station for all-things homeschool-related. In it you’ll find all sorts of things for general planning binders as well as multi-subject binders, such as:

• editable calendars
• homeschool log
• homeschool planner printable
• field trip log
• grade trackers
• printable goal setting worksheet
• homeschool report card template

What do I add to my homeschool binder?

Besides the obvious homeschool records listed above, a homeschool binder is a great place to record milestones that you may want to move over to your homeschool portfolio. I like to look at my homeschool binder as my one-stop-shop for all my important day-to-day homeschool organization papers. 

My husband appreciates that I can cram everything in there and clear off the table. :-)

Planner Help

Do your kids have their own planners? How about including this Copywork for the Months of the Year ? Simply print it and have the kids insert the pages for each month. When they begin each month, they can do the copywork for that particular month.

Goals & Subjects

Next, let’s talk goals. Do your kids understand the importance of setting achievable goals? Do they understand that Scripture has something to say about doing our best? These Copywork & Goal Sheets  can help them think through their goals for the year and then copy a key verse. 

This same printable pack will also give your kids copywork sheets they can use in their student binders . This pack includes a goal sheet for 11 different academic subjects as well as copywork from Scripture about each subject.

Encourage them to think about what they’d like to learn and achieve in each subject this year and write it down. They’ll be able to look back at it throughout the year. 

You can use free printable dividers for your binder to separate subjects. 

Cheat Sheets

Do you ever find yourself trying to remember simple facts – like the capital of a particular state or what a coefficient is? If you have, you know how handy it can be to have a simple list of facts close by. Check out these FREE cheat sheets in many subjects, and explore this full list of cheat sheets : 

• Famous Artists Cheat Sheets – list of 45 famous artists, where they were from, what style or period they were part of, and at least one of their famous works
• U.S. Presidents Cheat Sheets – handy printable list of U.S. Presidents, Vice Presidents, terms, party, and number

Foreign Language

• American Sign Language Study Pack – printable cheat sheets, cards, and more

History and Geograph y

• 50 State Cheat Sheets – list of state capitals, geographic region, time zone, and postal abbreviation for each state
• 50 States and Capitals in Cursive Copywork – Practice writing the states and capitals in cursive.

Language Arts

• Figurative Language Anchor Chart – Great for your language arts binder.
• DIY Book Report – use these templates to organize your book report
• Letter Template for Kids – These are great for teaching students how to write friendly letters.
• Math Cheat Sheets for Grades 4-8 – helpful abbreviations, conversions, and more
• Math Facts Copywork
• Number Chart 1-100
• Roman Numerals Printable – Print and use these handy Roman numerals charts in your math binder.
• Bar Graph for Kids – Includes a handy sheet you can store in your math binder that explains different types of bar graphs. Includes worksheet practice. 
• Famous Composers Cheat Sheets – 45 famous composers, where they were from, when they lived, and the name of at least one famous work they are remembered for

Science and Health

• Periodic Table of the Elements Cheat Sheets – handy reference list of the elements along with their class, atomic number, and chemical symbol

Notebooking Pages & Diagrams for Student Binders

Get started with Free Notebooking Templates you can use for any subject or topic!

• Famous Artists Notebooking Research Journal – record the date and place of birth, date and place of death, famous works, and facts about the lives of 50 famous artists
• Artist Study Notebooking Pack – record facts about the artist and his or her work alongside pictures of one of their famous pieces
• Artists Notebooking Pages – learn about past and more recent artists 
• Authors of the Old Testament Notebooking Research Journal – pages to record the author, date written, key verse, and main theme of each of the books of the Old Testament
• Authors of the New Testament Notebooking Research Journal – pages to record the author, date written, key verse, and main theme of each of the books of the New Testament
• Old Testament Kings list  – notebooking pages plus list of kings and which kingdom they ruled over
• United States Geography Notebooking Research Journal – place to record what borders each state, key mountains, rivers and lakes, major cities, geographic land regions, and landmarks
• Countries of Europe Notebooking Research Journal – place to record what borders each country, key mountains, rivers and lakes, major cities, geographic land regions, and landmarks
• Wonders of the Ancient & Medieval World Notebooking Research Journal – place to record the history of 14 of the world’s wonders
• Famous Composers Notebooking Research Journal – record the date and place of birth, date and place of death, famous works, and facts about the lives of 50 famous composers
• Human Body Systems Labeling and Diagramming Worksheets – label the main parts of several systems
• Diseases of the Human Body Notebooking Journal Series – learn about diseases that impact six of our body’s systems
• Natural Disasters Notebooking Research Journals – record information about historic floods, hurricanes, volcanoes, and earthquakes
• Wonders of Space Notebooking Research Journal – record information about 27 wonders that are out of this world
• Layers and Spheres of the Earth Notebooking Research Journal – record information about many parts of the world – beneath our feet and above us in the atmosphere
• Ocean Animals Notebooking Research Journal – record the oceans the animal is found in, the type of water it is found in (shallow, deep, etc.), a physical description, and interesting facts about 60 amazing animals that live in the ocean

Binders for the Little Ones

• All About Me Templates – fun way for little ones to record their name, birthday, height, hair color, number of brothers or sisters, and favorite color
• My Feelings and Emotions Tracker – help kids learn to identify what they are feeling and why with this handy printable
• Phonics Sound Cards  – fun way to see what happens when small sounds join to form big ideas
• Name Tracing Generator – Crete your own customizable pdfs for name tracing practice!

Reading Logs and Charts

• Reading Logs, Bookmarks, and Charts – dozens of printable logs, charts, bookmarks, and more for kids to enjoy

In Conclusion

Using free cheat sheets and charts in your subject binders are a great idea. It helps students to have a quick reference for specific topics. 

• organization

Bonnie Rose Hudson

Bonnie Rose Hudson’s heart’s desire is for every child to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him. She would love for you to stop by her website WriteBonnieRose.com for homeschool and history curriculum, resources to help teach your children about missions and the persecuted Church, free history and writing printables, and to check out her newest release from JourneyForth, The Hidden Village , an early reader set in India.

Related resources

The Best ADHD Planner for Homeschool Organization

What Homeschoolers Need to Know About College Scholarships

The Best Way to Implement a Homeschool Routine

The Pros of Online Learning for Your Homeschooler

The Many Benefits of Homeschooling All Year Round

Homeschool Record Keeping: What You Need to Know

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How to Organize Your Binder for School

Last Updated: August 6, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Caitlin Jaymes . Caitlin Jaymes is a Closet Organizer and Fashion Stylist based in Los Angeles, California. With a background in Fashion PR and Fashion Design, she specializes in creating wardrobes for her clients with pieces they already own. She has experience working with celebrities, editorial shoots, and men and women of all ages. Caitlin uses fashion and organization to help instill and influence confidence, ambition, and stress-free lifestyles for all her clients. She runs her business by two guiding principles: “fashion has no rules, only guidance on how to look and feel your best” and “life has too many stressors, don’t let clutter be one of them.” Caitlin’s work has been featured on HGTV, The Rachael Ray Show, VoyageLA, Liverpool Los Angeles, and the Brother Snapchat Channel. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 327,603 times.

Having a neat, organized binder will set you up for success throughout the school year. Check out the tips below to learn the best, most effective way to organize your binder for school. Say goodbye to messy loose papers and lost homework assignments for good!

Buy dividers.

Label the dividers.

• Label the spine of the binder too, so you can see what class or subject the binder is for when you stack it in your locker or on a bookshelf.

Organize your binder.

Keep a binder and divider for every class.

Put important materials in the front.

Include paper.

Color code by subject.

Keep everything important in your binder.

Community Q&A

Reader Videos

• Keep a planner in there so you can write your homework down and not forget. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0
• Be nice to your binder. Don't toss it or damage it. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1
• Remember, your binder reflects your personality. Keep it organized if you want a good impression on others. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

Tips from our Readers

• Avoid using the pocket in the front of your binder. It may become the main place you store things, which will mess up any organizing you’ve tried to do. Consider closing it with tape.
• In the beginning of the year, put your class schedule in the plastic pocket on the front of your binder. That way you can check it easily.
• Go through your binder once a month and get rid of anything you no longer need.

• Even though your binder will be organized, a zip-up binder is highly recommended. Be careful. If you don't use a zip-up binder, your papers might fall out. Thanks Helpful 6 Not Helpful 2
• If you are the kind of person who rips paper make sure you don't need it Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 5

Things You'll Need

• Binder/folder
• Dividers or dividers with folders
• A large amount of lined paper in the back
• Planner or calendar (optional)
• Lots of papers to organize
• A table of contents (if desired)
• Plastic Sleeves (optional)

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://youtu.be/cbI8xK3hq4s?t=499
• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQmCvsQKmXQ
• https://www.5minutesformom.com/95024/how-to-organize-school-binders/

About This Article

To organize your binder for school, keep materials for each class separate and always have extra supplies on hand. Use a divider for each class you take so you don't get your work mixed up. Use plastic or laminated paper dividers so they don’t tear throughout the year. Arrange your dividers in order of your classes. For example, if you have math first, put it first in your binder. Keep your class schedule at the front of your binder so you can easily check what class you have next. You should also keep some lined paper in the front or back of your binder to take notes on. Consider getting an insertable binder hole punch, which goes in your binder. This will be really useful if you need to file something but you can't find a regular hole punch. For more tips, including how to choose your binder for school, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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One Stop Teacher Shop

Ideas and resources for Teachers | Teacher Blog

Student Binders: Improve Student Organization

By OneStopTeacherShop

Classroom organization is a key component of any successful classroom.  As teachers, we want to make sure our students have a place for their homework, classwork, supplies, textbooks, notebooks, and anything else they will use in our classroom. Student Binders are the perfect way to set up students for a successful school year and teach them the organizational skills they will need for life.  In this article, I’ll show you how I set up student binders and what I include in them to keep students organized all year!

It’s all about the Binder!

To begin with, be sure to add a binder to your student supply lists.  Make sure you add a special note for students to supply a “Heavy-Duty” binder that is at least 1.5 inches wide.  Obviously, any binder can work, but I have found that this type of binder is the most durable binder for students.   If getting a binder from each student just isn’t an option, you could use 3-prong folders and use one for each section.  This isn’t as ideal as a binder (keeping everything all in one place) but can do the job if necessary.

Make Student Binders Special!

My favorite part about using student binders is being able to create a fun cover for my students.  If you like to have themes in your class each year, you could create a special theme cover.  Not using a theme?  You may want to use your school colors or something your students are into. Here are a few fun covers for some inspiration.

Think Dividers

Consider using dividers if you are looking to get the most out of your student binders.  I prefer to have a few key sections in my student binders. 1. Weekly Agenda & Calendars 2. Homework 3. Student Data & Progress Reports 4. Class Information

You can have any sections you choose, but these have worked best for me.   Continue reading for more explanation about each section.

A Daily Student Agenda

A Daily Student Agenda is KEY to keeping students organized, teaching life skills, and communicating with parents.  At the end of each day, students write down important notes for the day and homework they are expected to complete that night.  If I need to write a note home to a parent, this is where it goes.  In addition, parents enjoy having a consistent place to reference notes and things that need to be completed.

This agenda section is also a great way to keep a record of student progress, behavior concerns, and homework completion.  All notes are in one place if ever needed for data collecting.

Lots of Calendars

As adults, we use calendars all the time to keep track of our schedule.  Using calendars in your student binders will teach students this life skill and the importance of looking/planning ahead.   Also, I love adding important school dates and events to this calendar at the beginning of the school year.

A Place for Homework

It is ideal to keep homework all in one place.  Homework is more likely to be completed and less likely to go missing.  Having a homework section in your student binders gives students a simple way to keep all of their nightly homework together.

Progress Reports

I regularly send home student progress reports in order to keep parents informed throughout the school year.  These reports update parents on recent grades, progress, and any behavior concerns I may have at the time.  A copy of the progress reports is kept in each student binder for parents to reference as the quarter/semester progresses.  At the end of each quarter, I remove the progress reports and file them in my student portfolios.

Data Tracking

Requiring students to keep track of their own progress can have many positive effects in your classroom.  By having students graph and/or record their grades, they are gaining a better understanding of how they are actually doing in school.  Students should not be surprised if their grade is low and are more likely to take ownership and work to improve their grades when they see them in a concrete format.

Other Important Papers

It is important to have a section that contains anything and everything you would like your students to keep in their student binder. Some of these papers may be to help the student organize themselves and some might contain important class policies or procedures.  Some of the information I like to include is a class schedule, contact information form, homework expectations, school policies, etc.

Let Them Personalize it!

Students love to make things their own! Your student binders should be no exception.  Give them the opportunity to draw pictures or color on their agenda pages, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the actual agenda.   I love to use a “doodle” style agenda and let students color in the pictures each week as a fun activity.  This is a great way to get students excited about their binders and they are more likely to take care of them throughout the school year.

Digital Planners are fun, too!

If you prefer to keep things clean, going 100% DIGITAL is a great option! I prefer to use Google Drive when using a digital planner because I can access it from anywhere!

If you are searching for the perfect student agenda, check out my One Stop Student Binder ! It has everything I mentioned above and MORE. The best part, I offer FREE updates for life! Yep, you get to return every single year and download the binder again for free.

Be sure to check out my other blog post about my One Stop Teacher Binder !

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ALL-IN-ONE STUDENT BINDERS

When I first started teaching, I used the paper folders to place student homework and notes. It didn’t work out well. They got destroyed easily and had to be replaced often. I started to use the more durable plastic folders for sending homework and newsletters. Those worked a lot better. Then, I realized that binders such as the one pictured above were way more durable and could last the entire year as long as students didn’t lose them. In this all-in-one binder students would keep most of the things they usually use. This could include their monthly planners, homework, morning work and newsletters, I-Ready passwords that they may need to access at home. In addition, a copy of our class or school schedule.  If your students chart their weekly spelling tests or sight words then you can add those too. 

This binder would essentially be their only take home binder which means they would have to bring it back to school each day just like they would bring any other type of homework folder back to school each day. The only difference is, it would include their monthly morning work books that they use each morning as they enter the classroom. The morning work books that would go along with this setup are here: First Grade Morning Work . Kindergarten Morning Work . This binder system is easier if you use a systematic morning work approach. These morning work books are spiral review books. They are set up by month and are easy to print. Once they are printed for the month and placed in binders, you won’t have to go searching for morning work for the entire month. One less thing to do. 

Do you need to place all the pieces from this set in your student binders? Absolutely not! Place as little in the student binders or as much as is practical. You know your students best and what would work in your classroom.

As students enter the room in the morning, they take out homework and place it in the homework bin. Usually we have one page of a reading activity for homework or one page of a math activity in first grade. This binder system can work for first graders or second graders. There’s not much assigned for homework in first grade. They get started on morning work for the day in that same folder. It’s already there for the month so they already know which page is next and exactly what their morning work task is. During this time where they are doing morning work, I would be taking attendance and checking homework.  After checking homework, I place it in the plastic slip in their binder that says keep home. I do this at the end of the day. 

They keep completed homework at home. It does not stay at school or in their binders. After they are done with morning work, we review it as a class and they turn in binders to me. That’s it for binders until the end of the day. At the end of the day, while they do partner reading or silent reading for the last 15 minutes of class,  I place new homework in binders along with any school related news. If you have your planning period closer to the end of the day, then I guess you could do that then.  In the section of the binder that I have included their behavior logs, I would mark their color for the day or add a note.

Color systems are not used as much anymore, but writing notes home to parents is essential and helps to build partnership with your parents. If you would prefer to keep morning work separate or have a folder just for homework and things that go home, that is totally up to you. This is just another idea of keeping things organized. There are many pieces in this planner and binder set. How you use them is completely up to you. They are all editable to fit your needs. Take a look at some of the pieces below. They are all in the set. You can purchase the set here: Editable Planner and Binder Templates

There are editable binder covers, planner templates, newsletters, reading logs, A parent folder template and many other essentials for your students. If you would like them, you can grab them here in my TPT store. The files are editable so that you can change them to fit your needs. 

Now granted, it will take time for you to put together in the beginning, but it will be so worth it. Setting up student folders and binders can easily be done over the summer.  One thing I can say is that you will need to model everything for your students and maybe even create a reward system for students keeping their binders neat and in order. A great thing to have is also a list of the tabs at the front of each student binder so they know what’s in each section. Have procedures in place if students lose binders or if they are missing their binder for the day. I just want to emphasize that not everything works the same for all classes. if you decide that keeping homework and morning work folders separate works best for your students, please do that. This is just another idea. 

Do not underestimate what your little ones can do. I know it’s often hard for first graders to keep papers together and to keep organized, but setting high standards for them is what we do as teachers. At the beginning of the year it will be a bit tricky for them but as you model, you will be surprised to see how well they do with keeping their binders together and the pride and accountable that they display throughout the year. 

Everyone gets a white binder. Ask parents to provide page protectors and dividers as part of your supply list. You can create DIY tabs or just use standard ones and paste or write the subject for each tab. 

At the front of the binder, place these cute little keep and return cards. The keep and return cards are in the editable  binder set. 

The keep home sticker is placed on a plastic sleeve because this is where things from school that need to stay home will go. You want parents to see it right at the front and take them out of the plastic sleeve. 

It’s a good idea to keep the homework letter in the plastic sleeve or binder all year. Behind that are a list of spelling words. You can add your weekly words or add the words for the month so you don’t have to worry about it for the month and it can just stay in their binders.

With the actual homework templates, you can type the homework for the week or have your kids write it in. At the beginning of the year, I prefer to have it all typed up. Just to make it easier. Around October they can start copying it from the board. Just to let you all know, right as I snapped the picture below, I realized the dates were wrong…lol. Not to draw your attention to it, but I just know someone is going to notice and email me about it, so I want to let you all know that I know. Glad I got that out of the way.

There are behavior logs and communication logs and also behavior calendars if you want to add any of those to your binders. 

You can also download this free optional communication form.

Here are some other templates you will find in this set. 

You can use these pages to have students journal about their emotions. 

 You can add a password section with passwords that students use at home such as their I-Ready passwords or other passwords they may need. Special area charts are also included so parents and students can keep track of what specials they have on what day. 

Again, planner templates are included in this DIY set as well. Check out the post on student planners here.

Planners can be kept separate from their binders or be added later down in the year. 

Here are some examples of the monthly newsletters included in this set. 

Here are some example of the data charts you will find included. 

I created some simple goal sheets where teachers can write up to three monthly goals for students. It can be an academic goal or another type of goal that they need to work on. Students can also do self reflections and write their own goals .

I would love to hear how you manage morning work, home folders or student binders. Let me know in the comments below. 

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25 Clever DIY Ways To Organize With Binders

Modified: Jan 19, 2023 by Vanessa Beaty · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

If you hear the word “binders” and automatically think back to your school days and groan, you’re missing out!

When you’re a grown-up, binders are still helpful for organizing (actually, they’re more helpful than ever), but they’re a lot more fun!

You get to make them colorful and add a splash of your personality to each one, and there are dozens of ways you can use them to get more organized.

A lot of folks find binder organization totally addictive.

Create a gardening binder … with seed packets!

Hardware binder – get those tangled cords in line, manual binder, dvd binders, organize your random ripped-out magazine pages., recipe binder, make a teacher binder., make a great student binder for college., school binders are perfect for younger students too, easy baby book, school year keepsakes binder, the family binder, a binder just for your budget, editable binder covers., holiday organizing binder, dry-erase to-do list, wedding planning binder, fitness binder to stay motivated., reusable binder pages, laminate pages you use frequently, personalize your binders to make them more fun, get fancy with fabric, stay organized with a baby with a household organization binder, make your binder clips pretty using washi tape, take your beautified binder clips to the next level..

Once you get started, you won’t be able to stop! Once you start using binders to get your household in order:

Everything will have a place , and everything will be in its place. No more searching for documents ! Have them when you need them. Use your binders to be more accountable and keep up with your commitments . Track your progress on chores and progress . Teach other members of your family how to get organized ! Use your creativity to make binders artistic and fun !

Okay, enough about why you should do it … when you check out these examples, you will probably want to jump in your car and go straight to your office supply store!

Do you have a green thumb? The key to successful gardening, as you know, is timing!

A gardening binder is a great way to keep track of the seasons and what you have done over the past year.

With a gardening binder, you can record the date you have planted seeds or plants or done transplants, which plots seeds were placed in and when you expect them to rise, trends in the weather, where you purchased seeds, harvest dates for specific vegetables, pests to watch out for, companion planting tactics, and more.

Over the year, you will tally up useful observations that will help you become a better gardener!

You won’t accidentally double-plant into the same plot, and you can use your notes to manage companion planting which will prevent pests.

Place your old seed packets directly in the binder inside of sleeves so that you have all the detailed information on each plant available any time you need to reference it.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Frugallysustainable

This is another brilliant idea, this time from The Creativity Exchange. If you have a lot of technology in your home (and who doesn’t these days), you know what a mess all those cords and peripherals can turn into.

Most of us have a stash of extra cords and wires we don’t want to get rid of, but don’t necessarily need to use right now. Maybe you also have some backup USB devices that you don’t use every day.

Don’t you wish there were a way you could get all those supplies organized and out of your way?

The Hardware Binder is a brilliant way to do just that!

You are going to need a massive binder for this. Get some large plastic Ziploc bags and start cataloguing your extra supplies. Coil up those wires and store them with the extra peripherals they actually belong to.

Throw in your user manuals too! That way you have everything in one place and don’t have to hunt around later trying to figure out which wire goes with what. Punch holes through your bags and file them in the Hardware Binder. Genius!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Thecreativityexchange

Related to the idea above, maybe you just want a binder where you can store all of your user manuals. Instead of a pile of appliance manuals collecting dust in your hall closet (never to be seen again, especially when you actually need them), you can file them nicely in a manual binder.

Small manuals can be punched through and fit inside like normal pages.

Larger manuals can be stored in plastic bags, just like you can do with the Hardware Binder above.

You can use the tabs to sort manuals according to their purpose or area of the house. Like you might want a tab that says “Kitchen” and has manuals for all kitchen appliances, and another that says “Cleaning,” and so on. This is also a great way to store your warranties. You may want a separate binder for those, or you can throw them in with their respective manuals.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Stayathomeista

Are you a filmophile? These days it is pretty effortless to build a comprehensive film and television collection. When you can purchase used DVDs and Blu-Ray discs at incredible discounts, it is hard not to start piling up DVD cases.

And let’s face it—if you collect television series, your problem is even worse, because a lot of those sets are not packaged to conserve space. What do you do when your collection starts taking up more shelf space than you have?

One idea is to pitch the original containers out and replace them with a set of binders.

Yes, there are DVD storage binders you can buy, but they are often bulky and actually can be hard to use. Standard binders with CD sleeves can be easier to deal with, and you can make them much prettier.

You will save a ton of space with this solution, and you will also have a much easier time finding things since you can categorize the DVDs any way you want. You could do an alphabetical thing, or you could organize according to genre, or use a combination of these methods. After you make DVD binders, you will have so much free space in your home you won’t know what to do with it.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Thelovenerds

If you have a lot of magazine subscriptions, odds are you tear out stuff you particularly like on a regular basis—cosmetic ideas, recipes, products you are interested in buying, articles you found particularly fascinating, etc.

This allows you to throw out all the old magazines and retain the stuff you love—but you also probably have a pile of old magazine scraps that is out of control and incredibly hard and frustrating to search for to find what you want.

If that is the case, why not try putting them in a binder?

You can set up tabs that help you find what you are looking for; the one in this photo is for holiday planning, and each tab is for a specific holiday. You could also have binders or tabs for beauty, recipes, products, simple home solutions, decorating, fashion, hardware, automotive tips, and more.

While we’re at it, this is also a great way to save newspaper clippings! Yet another cool idea from Make Life Lovely!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Makelifelovely

Recipe books are great, but a lot of the best recipes come from random places. Sometimes you find something amazing online and print it out—only to lose track of it later (and then you find the recipe has been deleted—oh no!).

Or maybe you found a great recipe in a magazine and lost the clipping. And what about that amazing recipe that your friend wrote down for you, which has now completely disappeared?

Stop losing your recipes with a recipe binder. You can organize this any way you want with the tabs. You might go with types of foods, foods with certain ingredients as their main elements, or foods from different countries.

You may want to have a section for “fast and easy” as well, and maybe even one for “budget meals.”

Another cool idea is a tab for recipes that you haven’t yet tried, but want to make. That way you’ll be sure to never miss out on an amazing recipe that could become your new favorite thing to make. The sky is the limit here; you can do so many great things with a recipe binder!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Iheartorganizing

Do you mold young minds for a living? Binders are not only your students’ best friends but yours as well.

A teacher binder can help you to stay organized and sane, which is even harder for you than it is for them! For a teacher binder, you will need a heavy duty binder that will hold up to plenty of use, and pick dividers with pockets that you can write on and erase.

Come up with a smart system for organizing and include sections like “Calendar,” “Student Info,” and so forth. A “Quick Reference” tab listing school policies, computer logins, schedules, and more can be a huge help!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Luckeyfrogslilypad

What if you are a student and not a teacher?

You already know how challenging it is to keep up with your work and remember everything you need to do! Well-organized school binders can help you out. Buy some divider sheets and make them pretty!

You will have an easier time staying organized if you love your class binders. Just look at this gorgeous class divider page for sociology. You can also see some of the sections, including Notes, Handouts and To Do.

These sections help you quickly jump to exactly what you need. Never waste time digging through disorganized school supplies again! The less time you waste trying to find what you need, the more quickly you will get your homework done, and the higher your scores will be!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Theholladaylife

Parents! Do you have kids who absolutely cannot seem to keep their school stuff in order?

Do you lament at the sight of their endless clutter? Do you worry they will lose their assignments? You can help them to stay organized by going a step further than just purchasing them a binder. You can take the time to set up the dividers and divider pages just like the college binder we talked about a moment ago.

Those same sections work great for elementary and secondary school students! You can also buy them in bright colors and make them super cute and personalized so your kids will love them, like in the photo!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Thirtyhandmadedays

If you’re the parent of a newborn (or you have a little bundle of joy on the way!), you know how important it is to capture all those special memories when they happen. The years go by so fast, and before you know it, your little sweetheart will be all grown up and heading for college.

One of the easiest ways to capture the memories is with a baby book binder like this one. As you can see, this is an easy way to journal about your baby and include photographs, mementos, and other keepsakes.

The brown envelope you see in the photograph has the baby’s hospital bracelets! Very cute, easy to make, and perfect for preserving the memories of a special time that will never come twice.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Newlywoodwards

As your child gets older, the artwork, schoolwork, awards, and other assorted memorabilia will start piling up fast! A lot of parents struggle to know where to put all of that stuff and wonder how much of it they can really hold onto.

One great way to stay organized and save space is by using a keepsake binder like this one. You can keep awards, school papers that your child is particular proud of, artwork, photographs, and more! Each year you can start a new school year binder!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Heidiswapp

Household binders are very popular tools nowadays, and online you will find a ton of great examples, and even free printables on many websites that you can use to make your own home binder. Pick a cute cover sheet, and then add tabs like Finance, Notes for Traveling, Home Maintenance, Calendar, Meal Planning, Coupons, and more! This is a wonderful way to keep all of your family organization paperwork in one place.

Sometimes you need to cross reference sections (like maybe you want to look at Finance and Coupons before you plan next week’s meals). The binder makes it easy, and helps you to save time and money!

On a related note, what if your finances are especially complicated, or you just like to go more in-depth with your accounting than other people typically do? You may want to skip the Finance section in your family binder and make an entire binder just for budgeting instead.

The binder you see here is tabbed according to months in the year, but you could also break down categories with tabs like Coupons, Budgeting, Receipts, Tax Documentation, and so forth. Use a sealable pocket (even a Ziploc bag will do) for your receipts. The website that gave us this idea, A Cultivated Nest, has a ton of free home accounting printables. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and check them out!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Acultivatednest

These editable binder covers were put together for a teacher to print out for his or her students, but you could use them for just about anything, depending on what you decided to put in the text fields.

You can choose any font and size you’d like, and you can also print these out in every color of the rainbow. This is an easy way to make beautiful binders for students, teachers, or for the home!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Teacherspayteachers

When fall rolls around each year and it’s almost time for Thanksgiving, and then Black Friday and the winter holidays, do you feel like you have it together?  Or do you panic?  A lot of us panic, because we realize that we have a ton of planning to do, and not enough time to do it in. 

There is just so much to keep track of if you want the holidays to be perfect.

One of the best solutions is a holiday organizing binder! 

You can have a binder with tabs for each holiday, or you can have several binders which have subcategories for each.  For example, if you have a Christmas binder, you can have a section for a Calendar, another for a Holiday To Do list, another for gifts, another for gift ideas (you can print these out or tear them out of magazines), another for recipes, etc. 

This is the ultimate way to plan the best holiday season ever!  Be sure to drop by IHeart Organizing to download their free holiday binder planning sheets!

Do you have a regular daily or weekly routine, or even a longer annual routine? If so, you probably have a to-do list in your head that you are constantly marking boxes off on. Each day, week, month or year, you have to reset the list and start again.

One cool way you can do this on paper (particularly useful for the shorter time periods) is the dry-erase to-do list.

This to-do list has a list of daily tasks that need to be remembered every day. As you can see, the paper sheet with the tasks has been pushed inside a laminated cover. With a dry-erase marker, you can check off the boxes each day—and then erase!

The next morning, you will wake up with a fresh to-do list, empty and ready to mark off. Think about how much paper you can conserve this way. It is fast, easy, and it helps you keep track of those regular tasks that are so easy to forget!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit -  Wecraftdaily

Planning a wedding is a ton of work; to do a great job at it, many people feel you need to spend at least a year, possibly up to two. Most weddings are going to be expensive, but your wedding planning materials do not have to be.

A simple binder and some sticky notes and kraft paper, and you should be ready to plan away. Helpful tabs can include Contacts, Scheduling, Budget, Inspiration (i.e. printouts), Attire, Venue, Flowers, Photography, Entertainment, Décor, Honeymoon, Guests, and Thank You's! If you make your wedding binder beautiful, it will become a keepsake that you will treasure forever.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Gloriajoy

Trying to lose a few pounds? Exercising can be a lot of fun, but staying the course can be a challenge as the weeks and months go by. A lot of us have a hard time sticking to our exercise programs and meeting our goals for weight loss and strength training.

One cool tool you can use to stay on track is a fitness binder. You can save cut-outs from magazines here and printouts from the internet.

You can have sections for different types of exercise instructions (a section for Cardio, a section for Strength Training, etc.).

You also could add a section for Inspiration, where you clip photos that remind you of the goals you are trying to reach. Another section could include your Schedule, and you could include a sheet where you keep track of your progress too!

You may even want to create some kind of special “Rewards” section where you include ideas for little rewards you can give yourself when you do achieve your goals (maybe cut-outs from magazines with products you want to try).

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Tipsfromamomof3

Here’s one way to keep things easy! Try reuseable binder pages. This works great with those divider pages that are nice and sturdy. The tabs help you find them, and you can use them again and again if you stick post-it notes on them instead of writing directly on them.

This is a great example from Thirty Handmade Days; you can see the caption “This Week for Dinner,” on the top. Instead of writing on the page and having to tear it out and put in a new one every week, she just adds and removes post-it notes with the different dinners scheduled for the week. It’s simple, it’s colorful, and it keeps things fast and easy!

This would be a great system to use for all sorts of regular scheduling tasks. Just imagine the possibilities. “This Week’s Projects,” “This Week’s Errands,” “This Week’s Chores,” and so on. What a wonderful system!

With any home binder, there are going to be pages that you turn back to again and again. If you keep doing that, they are likely to get crumpled and smudged. One way you can prevent that is to protect them by laminating them.

They will stay neat and easy to read, and you also will have an easier time locating them and flipping to them right away when you pick up the binder.

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Somewhatsimple

Get your creative juices flowing when you are making your binders! If you don’t, you may find it hard to get into using binders. When you allow yourself to be artistic, you have more fun, and it feels more personal. We just love this binder on Thirty Handmade Days.

It’s pretty and brightly colored, and with the fun fonts and design, it says something about its owner’s personality.

This particular binder is an accountability binder for a child—but that doesn’t mean that this is just a great idea for kids! It is also a perfect idea for the kid in you.

As the binder’s designer says herself, “I get excited looking at all my pretty binders in a row.”

Looking for a really amazing idea to make your binders pretty?

This idea from the Uncluttered Lifestyle is one of our favorite ideas for binders yet.

If you have a binder for a special purpose that does not need a paper cover (like the DVD collection binder the author of the post was decorating), a fabric cover is a really cool choice! You can head to the fabric store and pick up some textile that matches your personality.

Choose something with a fun texture; for 4 binders you will need around 2 yards. Get some spray adhesive and some book plates.

Cut the fabric to fit, leaving an extra half inch to an inch on all sides. Cut the corners so that there will not be any overlap when you fold the edges over the top and bottom of the binder (to prevent a bulge).

Start by adhering the fabric to the front flap. Close the binder, then adhere to the spine, then the back flap. If the binder is open when you do that, it will be too tight to close the binder. You can then cut extra pieces to adhere to the inside covers.

Finally, get your book plate and adhere it to the side of the binder with the label for the binder! This is an amazing way to transform an ordinary binder into something that looks fancy, formal, and rather upscale. It will no longer feel at all like an office supply!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Unclutteredlifestyle

Earlier we talked about a binder for baby keepsakes, and we also talked about a household binder. The reality is, when you have a new bundle of joy in your life, your household is going to be a lot different for a few years.

The household binder you use for most years just is not going to be fully applicable. You have a totally unique set of responsibilities to take care of when there is a baby in the house.

This idea combines the household organization binder and baby binder. Many of the tabs will be about the same—Grocery Lists, Budget, Calendars, and so on. But you also will probably have some unique sections.

You might have a section for Daycare, and another for special Baby Supplies. You also may have a section on Toys, and so on. Another idea would be to keep your general household binder separate, and have a baby planning binder where you keep track of what you need to buy for your baby over the years, and activities you want to do. Raising a little boy or girl is very complicated, and a binder can help you make it much simpler!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Ginaraemillerphotography

Washi tape, if you aren’t familiar with it, is a crafting supply which you can do about a zillion things with. It is a form of masking tape from Japan that is made out of washi paper. Washi tape comes in lots of different colors and patterns.

If you do not have access to washi tape, you can totally make your own if you buy some patterned tissue paper and double-sided tape. Just apply the paper to one side of the tape and cut strips, and you’ll be ready to go.

Here you can see a set of binder clips which have been covered in washi tape. As you can see, it transforms them instantly into very pretty clips, and makes them feel a lot less office-y. Perfect for your personalized home organization binder!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Artsyville

Finally, if you love the idea above for beautifying your binder clips, imagine making them even more amazing. These binder clips have been ornamented with little ribbons, flowers, and labels. They look amazingly adorable, and the labeled ones are perfect for keeping things organized and inspirational.

These adorable binder clips not only are perfect for your own organizational binders, but they also make amazing gifts for likeminded friends!

DIY Instructions and Project Credit - Mylovelyinspirations

Now you have a lot of awesome ideas for using binders in fun and innovative ways to organize your household, and you know how to make them look amazing!

Organizing with binders takes some time to set up, but once you start, you’ll have so much fun you won’t be able to stop!

And after you have your binder systems all set up, they will save you time, money, and headaches. Running your household will be easier than ever!

How do you use binders to stay organized? Do you have any cool tips for making binders beautiful? Share with us in the comments below!

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November 18, 2015 at 8:25 am

i thought I was overly obsessed with binders, I keep 10-20 binders filled with content that is easily accessible. Though they are clearly labeled, the only thing missing is a bit of creativity to add color to the plain white covers. Thanks!

Dashon Stewart

April 20, 2016 at 1:30 am

I get my binders at staples and I collect some information about World War II, Geography,Haiti,South Africa,US Department of State,Government &Poltics,Law(Constitutions from United States and around the world)and etc.

April 20, 2016 at 1:35 am

The binders in which I get at staples is Avery.

June 01, 2016 at 7:21 pm

this has helped me so much I literally have 30 binders at my house and my kids have thanked me so much that I have showed them these ideas!!..

olivia jeffries

June 01, 2016 at 7:26 pm

this has helped them so much

September 29, 2016 at 1:03 pm

That is a really cool idea and a cute picture. I also love to do a to-do list too! That help me a lot about my daily task.

September 30, 2018 at 2:06 am

Diane taber

April 27, 2019 at 3:04 am

I would just love to get different binders for different projects and goals and budgeting journaling planner for budgeting journaling planning journal for different things.to be put in order.

July 29, 2020 at 6:29 pm

My first binder I made over 20 years ago. I called "My Bill Book". I had it organized by recipient, (PSE, Comcast, Xfinity mobile), instead of topic, (utilities, insurance, Credit cards, etc.). That way all of the same bills were in one place. Also, Back to School time is the best time to stock up and save $$. So other than the obvious giant size binder for cords and such, what size is a good "standard"? Almost always I have to upsize 1 or 2 times as the varied content grows. It's annoying and time consuming. Also, when it comes to page protectors, some of them stick out of the binders. What size binder will avoid that? Thanks so much for posting this. I'm a new subscriber.😁 DanaE

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Thirty Handmade Days

30 Days Blog

Student Binder with Free Printables

Created On: August 13, 2017   |   Updated: June 24, 2020   |  

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy  here .

With school starting up again, add this  Student Binder to your list of projects.  I did the hard work, you download and print!

I’ve created something similar with the Mini Accountability Binder  but this one is full size and has new designs.I just love using happy, bright colors and fun fonts so that’s what I did again. I hope you love it as much as I do! 

Student Binder

This binder is ideal for a little bit older kids to help them organize – students in middle school/junior high or high school can use it.   It includes assignment, test, and project lists, as well as a class schedule.    They can use the calendar to map out their assignments or to look ahead.

Download this Student Binder .  For personal use only.

You can download August, Sept, and October 2017 calendar here .

Some other posts to help you get ready for school:

Back to School Teacher Care Package

Lunchbox Notes Your Kids Will Adore

Lunchbox Ideas Your Kids Will Love

Reader Interactions

August 16, 2017 at 9:53 am

Is there a version without the year and dates. I think that would be great.

August 14, 2017 at 12:20 pm

Thank you. I will use as a teacher for my Spanish notebooks.

August 14, 2017 at 12:27 pm

Thank you. I will use as a teacher for my Spanish notebooks. Just the calendar pages…Not the whole notebook.

August 14, 2017 at 10:26 am

Thank you for the free printables. I’m excited for my daughter to the student binder. She is starting high school this year, and I think it will help to keep her organized.

August 7, 2016 at 9:01 am

Also, trying to print updated student binder and it is printing it on 1/4 of the paper. I’ve checked my printer settings and everything looks normal. On the First/Day All About Me, it printed squares for some of the letters. Thanks

August 7, 2016 at 9:16 am

Nevermind, I had to open with Adobe and all is good =) Thanks again!

August 7, 2016 at 8:48 am

Absolutely LOVE your printables!! Thank you so much for sharing them with us for FREE! For the updated student binder, do you have January-June 2017 printables? I only saw up to December 2016. Thanks!

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How to organize a school binder: Tips and examples

Katie August 29, 2022 ADD/ADHD , executive function , grades , homework , organization

By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.

There are multiple ways to organize school materials using binders, notebooks, folders, and accordion files. This guide will teach you how to organize a school binder. It also includes tips for students with ADHD. The binder set-up I teach below can work for middle school, high school and college students.

Tips for choosing a school binder

Staples, Amazon, and Target are full of school binder options: zipper, 3-ring, ones with pockets, ones with velcro. The rule is to choose a binder with the least friction. In other words, choose one that is easy to open, easy to close, and easy to add papers to. 

More tips for choosing an academic binder: 

• Choose a 3-ring binder only if you plan to use folders inside (more on that in the subsection titled how to set up your school binder below)
• Avoid 3-ring binders without using folders; otherwise, you’ll have to hole-punch all your papers. 
• Choose a binder with a solid front and back cover. Avoid flimsy covers.
• Velcro-close binders are a good choice if you often carelessly throw things in your backpack. Velcro can keep the covers from getting jammed.
• Avoid zipper binders if you feel rushed at the end of class. Zippers are friction.

What size school binder to get

Three-ring binders come in many sizes, from .5 inch to 6 inches. (That’s huge; don’t get that one.) Purchase the smallest size possible that fits all your subjects without jamming your papers on the rings.

First, think about how many courses you will use your binder for. For one class, a 1-inch binder is usually enough. If you will use your binder for five classes, then you might need a 3 or 4-inch binder.

Second, think about what you will put inside your binder. I talk about different binder sections and materials further down in this blog post. Things to consider: will you be adding folders? A pencil pouch? Notebooks or loose-leaf paper? The more you add, the larger the binder needs to be.

Other school binder materials you may need

In addition to the actual binder, you will likely need a few other items to keep your school binder organized:

• Tabbed dividers
• Pencil pouch (optional)
• Slim 3-hole punch
• Loose-leaf paper (lined, graphed)
• Notebooks with 3-hole punches
• If you have ADHD, consider these tips for choosing school supplies

How to organize your school binder: Setting up the sections

The front section.

If you are keeping a pencil punch in your binder, it goes in the front. The first section of your binder is also where you clip in your slim 3-hole punch. We don’t put these in the back, because they create bumpy writing surfaces. The last item to go in the front section is a copy of your schedule. You can use a sheet protector like this one . (Another option is to slip your schedule inside the plastic pocket on the outside cover of your binder if it comes with one.) 

The middle section

If you’re using your school binder for multiple classes, you need a section for each class. Use tabbed dividers to separate these sections. Label the tabs with your class names.

For each class section, you will need a folder and paper. Unless you plan to hole-punch all your papers (really?), use the folder for handouts and worksheets. For paper, you can use loose-leaf or a 3-hole-punched single-subject notebook. Up to you.

• The first item to add in each section, right up front, is frequently used reference materials. This would include a periodic table for chemistry class, a formula reference sheet for math, etc. Slip these in sheet covers, or hole punch them. 
• Next, add your syllabus if you have one. If it’s only available online, print it out.
• Next, add your loose-leaf paper or notebook. If using loose-leaf paper, start with 20 sheets or so. You can always add more.
• Lastly, add your class-specific folder.

Here is an outlined recap of the items that go in each class section. I list them in the order I suggest you add them to your binder.

• Tabbed divider with the class name written on the tab
• Reference materials stored in a sheet protector
• Loose-leaf paper or notebook

The last section

The last section of your school binder, behind each of your divided class sections, is a separate section for papers that aren’t for any specific class. This would include permission slips, forms for extracurriculars, password lists, etc. Use another labeled tabbed divider for this section. You may also want to add a folder so that you don’t have to hole-punch everything you add here.

Tips to keep your school binder organized

Knowing how to organize your school binder and set it up in a friction-free way is the first step. Follow the tips above to create a binder that’s easy to use and add to. The second step is to keep your binder organized throughout the school year. 

To keep your papers and materials organized, be sure to go through each class section regularly (weekly or monthly) to:

• throw away old papers
• move out-of-place materials to the correct spot
• remove unit notes and papers that you no longer need (clip them together and take them out of your binder until you need them for a final)
• empty the front pocket of whatever papers you crammed in there
• add new loose leaf paper to empty sections when necessary

Other tips for keeping your binder organized:

• If your teacher gave you any materials digitally and you’d prefer them on paper, print them out and store them in your binder.
• You can use the inside front-cover pocket to store homework that needs to be submitted the next day. But, don’t leave worksheets in this pocket for more than a day or two.
• If your school binder falls apart or breaks during the year, get a new one.

How to organize a school binder if you have ADHD

Students with ADHD and executive dysfunction often need more support to get and stay organized. Managing school materials, keeping papers neat, remembering to turn in paper-based homework, and storing class worksheets/notes in the right sections are all challenges for people with ADHD.

In addition to the tips above – which are also written with ADHD in mind – you might consider the following tips for organizing a binder for school:

• Avoid zippered binders entirely.
• Choose an open binder (no clasp) or one with easy-open velcro.
• Use one large binder for all classes.
• Add a special section in the front for homework. This can be the first section in the binder before the class-specific sections. Add a folder to this section.
• Use a Sunday Routine to go through the binder and organize papers, tidy the sections, throw away junk papers, and check for homework that hasn’t been turned in.
• Use color-coded tab dividers. Match your folder color to the tab color for each class. (Blue tab for English; blue folder for English.)
• Choose the right lined paper for your handwriting. You may need wide-ruled lines if your handwriting is large.
• Use graph paper for all math work.
• Store your assignment notebook inside the binder, near the very front. You can purchase an assignment notebook with 3 holes.

Additional Resources

• 100 of my best organization tips for college students
• All my organization resources
• All my ADHD resources
• My ULTIMATE resource for building executive functions

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How to Create a Homework Binder

Last Updated: June 21, 2024

This article was co-authored by Ashley Pritchard, MA . Ashley Pritchard is an Academic and School Counselor at Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Ashley has over 3 years of high school, college, and career counseling experience. She has an MA in School Counseling with a specialization in Mental Health from Caldwell University and is certified as an Independent Education Consultant through the University of California, Irvine. This article has been viewed 15,855 times.

Keeping all homework assignments in one place makes it much easier to find everything when it comes time to do your homework. You can simply open your binder, pull out the worksheets for the day, and get started. Dividing the binder into subjects also helps organize everything as you complete assignments. With a homework binder, you’ll never forget about or lose your homework again. Keep reading to find out how you can create your own homework binder to keep your worksheets organised

Organizing a Homework Binder

• You might also consider a binder that zips shut, so you can’t lose any papers.
• Determine if you want a large 3-ring binder or if you want thinner binders to use for each subject.

• Using dividers with pockets can make it even easier to store your assignments.

• Alternatively, keep each new assignment at the front of each subject so it is near your notes.

• For example, when you finish a math worksheet, put it in the math section of your binder.
• You can also place returned homework assignments in the subject section.
• Consider if you want to store your assignments in chronological order so you can easily page through them later on.

Using a Homework Binder

• At the end of the school day, make sure you put the binder in your backpack before you leave for the day.

• Remember to keep all unfinished assignments in the front of the binder or in the front pocket so they are separated from work you’ve already completed.

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• ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thinking-about-kids/201201/keep-your-middle-schooler-organized

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Shining Mom

Enjoying the little things

July 24, 2024

Free Printable Student Binder: 25+ Excellent Planning Templates!

I truly enjoyed creating this free printable student binder that I am sharing with you today. Being a teacher for eight years, creating organizers that can help students succeed is something special for me. This is why I passionately created every page in this binder with the hopes of helping students enhance their productivity. I hope it reaches and blesses many students worldwide! So, if you are a student looking for a free school binder, this is for you. It’s here to help you to manage your time. Go ahead and grab this free student binder today, and consider it as a gift from your teacher friend!

Before sharing this free printable Student Binder with you, I hope you don’t mind me talking a little about my life back when I was still a teacher. I just miss those days. I am feeling the curls forming in the corners of my lips as I reminisce about how my life was in the classroom—challenging, yes, but truly rewarding! Ah, I miss the noise of learning! It always sounded so beautiful!

I remember that back then, I always admired kids who neatly kept school binders. In my ESL class, I required a portfolio for the kids to organize their reading materials, drills, and homework. I diligently reviewed their entries, and I observed that organized students tended to perform well in class. I intended to instill the habit of organizing from a young age because I firmly believed it would immensely help them in the future.

When I reminisce about my teaching days, I feel blessed and hono red for my opportunity to mold little kids. I always fondly remember those classroom memories I shared with them. But I also couldn’t forget that day I decided to resign from my teaching job. I was crying! I knew I would miss the classroom so much, but I also felt the need to stay at home for my growing family and pursue my blogging full-time.

It was a big move for me, but I see the bigger picture now. I am grateful that I can reach more students through my blog. I may no longer be in the classroom but ca share resources with students and teachers to enjoy! Here at Shining Mom, I have hundreds of printable organizers for school that are all free to download. As they say, “Once a teacher, always a teacher.” I am glad that I can still reach out to students in my little way!

The Free Printable Student Binder: Over 25 Planning Sheets!

This free printable Student Binder offers more than 25 pages designed to assist students in effectively organizing their school schedules. I made sure to include templates that would be especially helpful in managing academic responsibilities more efficiently. From daily planners to assignments logs and project trackers, this binder covers your needs! Its contents encompass various templates that cater to various aspects of a student’s academic life. Wondering what’s inside the Student Binder? Here are some of the pages included:

This free Student Binder is created for lower school, middle school, and junior high students. Its vibrant design ignites fun! It incorporates cute and colorful elements, aligning with the idea of how every student’s binder should look and feel. Special thanks to DesignCuts for providing the fantastic graphic elements used in crafting this lovely binder. Its visually appealing design makes organizing and studying more enjoyable!

Preview the Templates Included in the Student Binder!

I am thrilled to show you some pages included in the binder. Allow me to share some of my favorites with you!

ASSIGNMENT, EXAM & PROJECT TRACKERS

Since there are many things to keep track of at school, I made sure to create organizers that help students keep track of their assignments, examination schedules, and other extra-curricular activities, ensuring you don’t forget important dates!

DAILY, WEEKLY AND MONTHLY PLANNING TEMPLATES

Daily, weekly, and even monthly organizing templates are also included to help you stay on track with your responsibilities. Avoid procrastination using these templates! With these templates, you can allocate your time efficiently for more efficient study habits and less last-minute cramming.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRACKERS & MORE!!!

Since school is also about making friends, this free printable School Binder includes pages to help keep track of classmates’ birthdays, contact numbers, social media accounts, and more! There are also pages where students can freely spill out their creative juices, as I have designed pages for sketching ideas and inspiration!

These are just some of the pages included in the binder; more templates are included in your download! Download this free Student Binder today! It’s here to make your academic experience more organized and engaging!

Really, this free printable Student Binder is great to have.

So, if you are looking for a student binder, this is excellent to print! Go ahead and print a copy for yourself. It’s absolutely free!

Ready to snag your copy?

This Student Binder will be sent straight to your inbox. Join the Shining Mom mailing list to receive your free copy instantly!

CLICK HERE TO RECEIVE THE FREE STUDENT BINDER IN YOUR INBOX

Are you already a subscriber to the Shining Mom newsletter? If so, you can access the subscriber-exclusive download page below using the password I sent in your email.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE SUBSCRIBERS’ DOWNLOAD PAGE

For your reference, this binder is designed for printing on standard, letter-size paper with 8.5×11″ dimensions. Compile them in a binder, and you will have an organized school year ahead!

More Printables for Students & Teachers

I have more printables to share with you! If you are looking for more organizing printables for school, you may also check out my entire collection of back-to-school organizers. It’s an index page of over 500 free printable resources for the school year 2024-2025! For homeschooling parents, you can snag our free homeschool planner ! You can also start with the following popular freebies:

• Free Student Planner: This free planner includes 40+ printables to increase productivity in school!
• Daily Student Planners: These templates come in princess and truck designs!
• Ultimate Teacher Binder: This free planner features 45 printables to help teachers manage their schedules.
• Elementary Kids Planner:   This cute school planner is specially designed for kids!

Lastly, help me share this free printable Student Binder. Please consider pinning this post on Pinterest by hitting the save button below. Thank you very much!

I hope you find this Student Binder useful and that it reaches the hands of thousands of students looking for a system to get organized in school. Thanks for visiting the Shining Mom blog! I wish you a fantastic time organizing for school!

May 31, 2017 at 9:26 am

This seems like a really cool and time managing tool. I hope it works!!!

June 1, 2017 at 5:59 am

Thanks, Gabby! I believe it will. Make it work for you. =) Good luck!

May 31, 2017 at 6:56 pm

mam i am from India and my name is madhu…i found that student binder would help me lot in my studies….so please send me the pdf file….i have already signed up for the newsletter but i got success work book but not the student binder…..so i request you to send me…..i would also share my experiences with you…. after i print them and use them……. and also suggest me how to study effectively and use the prints better waiting for your reply…….

June 1, 2017 at 6:01 am

Hi, dear! The PDF file is linked within the post. Please read the article and you’ll be guided where to get it. Please let me know. Good luck in your studies! =)

December 2, 2017 at 1:23 am

October 31, 2018 at 12:28 pm

Hey!! Madhu, I am also from India…!! I am Palak… 😊 Nice to meet you… By the way in which class are you studying?? I am in 8th class….😊😃😃❤❤❤💜💜

June 21, 2017 at 10:21 am

June 28, 2017 at 12:37 am

This is so great for me! I’m starting my senior year and I just found the perfect binder for me! Thank you so much! Godspeed!

June 28, 2017 at 3:36 am

You’re most welcome, Harrie! God bless you!

June 30, 2017 at 10:55 am

It will not let me print the document. I signed up for box and it still doesn’t work to download.

June 30, 2017 at 3:22 pm

Everything should be working properly now. It was a server quota issue. I had it fixed immediately. Thanks for the heads up. Enjoy the planner!

June 30, 2017 at 2:26 pm

This looks like such an amazing planner! Unfortunately, when I try to download it, Box says that they can’t find it.

Hi, Erin! It should be working by now. It was a server issue. Enjoy the planner! Cheers!

July 6, 2017 at 5:54 pm

This is so awesome that you got this free for us to use! Thank you for your kindness! Doni

July 7, 2017 at 5:36 am

You’re most welcome! Enjoy the planners! =)

July 11, 2017 at 6:00 am

Thankyou for giving a great gift of organizing..for anyone… I still struggle with papercrazies… Gratitude A college student!

July 11, 2017 at 6:21 am

You’re most welcome, Ann! I hope you can use the pages. =)

July 13, 2017 at 11:02 am

How do you print this off

July 16, 2017 at 8:49 am

The files are linked within the post. Please read the blog and you will be directed where to grab them. =)

July 15, 2017 at 7:02 am

I’m so happy I found your website. I’m an early childhood ed major (who will be downloading your teacher binder, as well!) with one more semester of school to go and didn’t want to go out and buy a planner for the entire academic year. I love the project planner page in particular. That will really help with organizing my final senior projects and practicums, not to mention save a broke college girl some money. Thank you so much for putting these printables together! They’re very thorough and super cute! A lot better than many of the $50-$60 planners that I’ve seen 🙂 God bless!

July 16, 2017 at 8:45 am

Really? You made me so happy today, Katie! Thank you for your kind words! Enjoy the student binder! =)

August 13, 2017 at 2:02 pm

Thank you so much for this!!!

August 14, 2017 at 7:42 am

You’re most welcome, dear! =)

September 17, 2017 at 8:19 pm

hi I am Sam from Belgium and I’m trying to download your binder but one way or another it doesn’t work. Is there something I’m doing wrong or maybe this doesn’t work because of where I live? I hope you can help me

September 20, 2017 at 3:50 pm

Hi, Sam! The links should be working wherever you are. You can shoot me an email so I can help you out with the file if it links don’t work from your end. Cheers!

September 20, 2017 at 12:41 am

Hi! How do I download the student binder?

September 20, 2017 at 2:21 pm

actually never mind I found it and I love it sooo much

September 20, 2017 at 3:45 pm

Thanks, Claudia! Enjoy the planner!

September 23, 2017 at 9:37 am

I have no words for this, You are a Genius♥ I really apreciate your work, Im so Glad to have the oportunity to using this for College, Thank you so much. Blessings from Ecuador♥

September 25, 2017 at 12:33 am

Oh, Samantha! Thank you for your kind words. =)

November 19, 2017 at 5:34 pm

I am unable to download the Student Printables. It is sending me to a blank cite.

Is there any other way I can recieve them?

November 20, 2017 at 9:31 pm

I have double checked the links and they’re working properly in my end. Please try again. Thanks!

November 27, 2017 at 5:22 pm

Your design is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing it <3

December 10, 2017 at 9:41 pm

your design is so pretty and cool! i hope i can get one ofthis!thankyou ?

December 20, 2017 at 8:56 pm

totally awesome. thank you so much❤

December 21, 2017 at 7:59 pm

You’re most welcome. Plese enjoy the bindder!

December 27, 2017 at 4:43 pm

Your design are totally beautiful and cute. How to download this student binder? Hopefully you will reply it. Thank you 🙂

December 29, 2017 at 4:00 am

Hello! The instructions to the links to the download sources are indicated in the post. Thanks for dropping by! =)

December 30, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Thank you so much?? you are so kind

January 2, 2018 at 6:37 pm

I’ve been using your printable calendars ever since, and you create the most unique designs! I hope that you make a complete 12 month calendar. Kudos!

January 3, 2018 at 11:13 am

Thanks for your kind words, AJ!

January 10, 2018 at 6:10 am

How can I print it?

January 10, 2018 at 9:07 am

Hi, they are for printing in standard letter size paper. =)

January 11, 2018 at 11:23 am

Thankyou! 🙂

February 3, 2018 at 3:04 am

Hey! When I click the link it directs me straight to a blank page ( https://app.box.com/s/r0c3ti67zf3hxgxayv8jsvi4f92ade9a ).

I’m working on a MacBook, can this be the issue?

Best regards from Portugal 🙂

February 3, 2018 at 7:47 am

Hi Elisabette!

It’s working perfectly at my end. Please shoot me an email at khaye@shiningmomblog(dot)com. I’ll see what I can do to help you.

Warmly, Khaye

February 3, 2018 at 4:06 am

Ugh this is just what I needed! As a busy student (and mom) organization in my life is key to make things function properly! I did want to ask if there a way to get this to fit a personal sized planner? Or is it only available on letter size?

February 3, 2018 at 7:45 am

Hi, Denise!

This planner is in letter size! You can definitely use it to keep you organized.

Cheers, Khaye

April 29, 2018 at 6:49 am

This binder is so pretty , i love it❤ I hope it will be useful for my study..

May 2, 2018 at 8:16 am

Thanks so much, Fika! Please enjoy the binder!

July 1, 2018 at 4:20 pm

This is amazing. Thank u so much!!♡

July 1, 2018 at 11:37 pm

I am glad you like it, Charlotte. Please enjoy the student binder!

September 18, 2018 at 3:30 pm

this is awesome…. thanks a lot for your hardwork and generosity providing this for free… I definitely will use this and will be useful for my kids…. God bless you abundantly

January 6, 2019 at 12:32 pm

What a nice and helpful blog! 🙂

January 6, 2019 at 4:36 pm

Thank you very much!

February 3, 2019 at 6:45 pm

I can’t believe how kind you are ! Thank you so much for your help !!

February 6, 2019 at 4:41 pm

You’re welcome, Eli!

July 9, 2019 at 11:47 pm

You are the greatest and are fantastic at what you do. I can’t say enough about all the resources that I am able to use and use with meaning rather than some of the other things out there they say they help to keep you organized (planners, calendars, binder covers, etc.)

November 10, 2020 at 1:02 pm

ty for this!

January 31, 2021 at 10:12 am

Thanks for this! I’m a high school junior, and this really will help my organizational skills. I have really bad AD/HD, and I’ve found that your printables help quite a lot! Thanks, and I hope your staying safe! -Serena

February 9, 2021 at 6:01 am

You’re welcome, Serena. Please enjoy using the planner!

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Free Student Binder Printables: 33+ Amazing Pages!

Looking for a free school planner? Get this student binder printable for free! It includes over thirty templates carefully designed to help you manage your school life. From daily school organizing templates to homework logs and project trackers, this planner has your needs covered. Download for free!

Welcome to Home Printables! If you’re new here, we’re delighted you’ve reached our humble blog. Today, we have created something special for students. If you’re one of them, we’re thrilled to share this free student planner with you!

We know how busy your life as a student life can be. With so many lessons to study and so many assignments and projects to accomplish, it can really get overwhelming sometimes. So, to help you prepare for the upcoming school year, we decided to update our much-loved student planner. It’s designed to help you manage your school life with ease. Get ready to organize your schedules with our cute planning pages, which are free to download!

Free Student Binder: 33+ Amazing Pages!

This student binder printable includes thirty-three printable pages that you can print and use right away. Each of the pages included comes cute and colorful, so you can have fun while planning. Yup, this is far from a boring school planner. It features vibrant planning templates for you to enjoy. It also includes fun stickers and playful note cards! Thanks to Design Cuts for the graphic elements we used.

What’s Inside This Free Student Planner?

If you’re already curious about the pages included in your free printable student binder, here’s a brief overview:

• Free Student Binder Cover Pages that come in three different styles!
• Class Schedule Page that holds the subject, room assignment, name of teacher, and, of course, the schedule of classes.
• Goal-setting Templates that allow you to set goals and work hard for this school year. Do you want to have better grades in Math? Be on the honors list? Identify action plans for achieving these goals!
• Project Planner that lets you work on your projects smoothly without missing any due dates.
• Homework Planner that makes you organize your assignments on a daily basis.
• Ideas Page, where you can freely jot down your ideas.
• Examination Planner that allows you to calendar your test schedules. This planner includes a section where you can write your exam topics and some review/study guide remarks.
• Monthly Calendars where you can organize your schedules for the entire month at a glance!

Elevate Your Academic Journey with this Free Student Binder!

This free student planner is your diligent companion for academic success. Get started using the daily planners, homework logs, reading logs, and project planners to manage your time more efficiently. Be sure to also set your academic goals with the goal-setting templates included! Get this all-in-one student binder printable to take your academic journey to the next level!

Free Monthly School Calendars

Exciting news! We’ve also added a free monthly planner section to this free student planner. Now, you can plan your entire month at a glance, so you will not miss anything important again! Whether it’s assignment due dates, extracurricular activities, or examination schedules, these free school calendars keep you organized and on track. They come in blank templates so that you can use them any year! But if you are looking for a dated calendar, you can also snag our 2024 and 2025 for free!

Free Lunchbox Note Cards

Wait, there’s more!! We’ve also included a set of free printable lunchbox note cards! Need a break from your study sessions? Pull out one of our hilarious note cards to share with your classmates! Because, let’s admit it, a little humor makes a hard lesson a little easier! So download our student planner today and get ready to conquer your academic goals!

Download Your Student Binder Printables Today!

Ready to snag your free printable student binder? Sign up for the Home Printables mailing list, and we will deliver the files to your inbox right away!

Are you already subscribed? Download the files instantly through the subscriber-exclusive button below (password protected).

GET THE FREE PRINTABLES HERE

*Please note that this planner is designed to be printed on US standard letter-size paper. And yes, it’s for personal use only. =)

More School Planners to Enjoy!

Finally, if you’re looking for more free student binder printables, we have more for you! Because we love school planners, we have more freebies for you! Here’s a quick list of some of the previous ones we have shared. Do check them out, too!

• Free Teacher Planner
• The Ultimate Kids Student Planner with 25 Planning Sheets 
• Free Teacher Binder
• Homeschool Planner for Moms and Kids
• Free Student Organizers
• Free Back-to-School Planner

We hope you love this free printable student binder that we have for you. Thank you for dropping by here at the Home Printables blog today. See you again soon! Have an amazing school year ahead!

02/20/2018 at 10:48 am

I cannot thank you enough, I have 3 children at school aged 6,10 & 11. I’m disabled and my hubby is my carer, so these planners will be fantastic for the whole family.

02/20/2018 at 10:26 pm

Thanks, Sue! You delighted my heart. I really hope this binder can help! Cheers!

08/12/2020 at 3:07 pm

Its helps me to organise and to be productive

Love ❤️ from india

09/15/2020 at 3:55 pm

06/15/2021 at 3:02 pm

The 2021 free planner is really helping me ger through the demands of alternate working arrangement due to covid 19. Thank you so much for helping me keep organized.

05/08/2024 at 5:27 pm

These free planners are amazing! They kept my kids well organized.

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Jennie Moraitis

Dedicated to helping you nurture your God-given creativity

How to Set Up a Simple Homeschool Binder

Please note this post may include affiliate links. For more information,  read my disclosure policy here .

Today I’m going to show you how to set up a simple homeschool binder for your student (or students.) Whether or not you live in a state where extensive record keeping is required, I highly recommend keeping records of your kids’ work.

For older students, you’re going to need the work your student completed to create a transcript. And for younger students, it’s a great paper trail to reference what they’ve learned (and how far you’ve come!) Also, you never know if you’re going to move out of state or if your state will suddenly adopt new standards. Better safe than sorry. Enter the simplest, most efficient notebook in the world. Seriously. I’ve tried a few different methods in my homeschool journey–filing my kid’s work, adding everything to a notebook once a week, keeping the workbooks–and this one is by far my favorite. So, let’s do this! All you will need to start is a 4-inch binder ( this is the one we use ), tab dividers for each subject ( these are my favs because I like the larger tabs ), and the curriculum and/or workbooks you are going to use. It’ll also greatly help to sit down beforehand and figure out your schedule for the year.

Schedule sidenote: you might be cringing (or celebrating) at the idea of a schedule, but believe me, having a roadmap as to what you want to accomplish and in what order will help you and your kiddo(s) to not go crazy. Better yet, as your kid matures, they can just go ahead and do the next thing on the list. Win-win.

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8 Innovative Ways to Organize Take-Home Folders

Keep classroom communication organized with these take home folder ideas from teachers.

The take-home folder is one of the most important and essential elements in the home/school relationship. Often times, it’s your best tool for communicating with parents. If you can get your students in the habit of using it every day, it can really help your organization and communication in the classroom. We gathered up some of our favorite take-home folder ideas from teachers around the web. We hope they help inspire you in your classroom this year.

1. Lend a Hand This take home folder helps kids and parents stay organized in a really easy way. Your students can trace their hands in different colors and then paste them to the inside of the folder. This should help them get in the habit of what to keep and send back.

How do you organize and store your take-home folders?

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Our Weekly Binder System

This is our second year homeschooling and my first year teaching two kids. I have a first grader, kindergartener, and 3.5 year old. We have been using this weekly binder system for organizing our curriculum for a couple months and it’s just simplified the mornings so much for me! I feel organized instead of scattered.

Instead of grabbing 2-3 work books each, the kids just grab their binders with that week’s work in it. So I’ll show you what goes into each child’s binder, how we fill it once a week, and how you can easily set one up.

More homeschool posts for you to find

• Our kindergarten and 1st grade curriculum choices for the 2020-2021 school year
• How to start homeschooling for the total beginner
• How to homeschool preschool
• Busy Toddler’s Playing Preschool Review
• How much time should preschool take each day
• Our homeschool supplies
• How much does it cost to homeschool kindergarten

How we organized homeschool curriculum for the week before switching to binders

Originally, I just had a metal cart on wheels that held all our our homeschool books.

Each day I’d take the kids’ stack of books (2 each for math and language arts), flip to that day’s page of a subject, and do that day’s lesson. It wasn’t a bad way to do it actually, but I could never really say, “Go grab your schoolwork” to the kids because there were so many different books and things I pulled from.

The binder solves this for me. They can get their binder with everything we need for that day (and week).

The second issue for me with the old way was that it was tricky to visually see how much work was left for the week. I thought maybe sticky notes in each book placed at the beginning and end of the work for the week might be helpful, but opted to try this binder system instead.

What is a weekly binder system?

This is the system that we have implemented in our home to organize and hold one week’s worth of homeschool work. With this system, each child has their own binder. It holds all the worksheets divided into subjects, and has a place for finished work to go in the back.

At the end of the week, all finished work gets filed away somewhere else, and you would fill up the binder again. (You could start a file for each child with the year on it and put the finished work in there.)

Most curriculum I’ve seen is ordered by days, so you could tear out the next 5 days worth of work.

Why a binder system has simplified homeschool for us

It’s helped me to be organized for the week. By tearing out 5 days worth of math and language arts, I can see how many pages we have to do at a glance.

I can print off a few extra activities and keep them in the binder in case we feel like it. No more searching for where I set that printable we were going to get out this week. It’s in the binder.

It motivates the kids. I notice the kids seem to love seeing their binder getting empty during the week. They see bite sized chunks instead of thick books. “Only 3 more pages!”

They can do all their week’s worth of math in a day, or spread it out lesson by lesson or day by day. Sort of step 1 towards being independently motivated I guess.

Switching subjects takes a lot less time. It is SO fast for me to just open the next tab in our binder to switch subjects…because the work is all there. I just feel more organized and less all over the place.

It’s a perfect place to store some of those homeschool printables. I love finding printables that look fun, can be cut out, or go along with our nature theme that week. Since these are loose papers, a binder is a great spot to put those. Usually things like this are just for fun if we get to them.

Supplies you’ll need to set up a weekly homeschool binder (for each kid)

You’ll need:

• A thick 2 inch binder . The 1 inch binders don’t leave room for a wide ruled notebook and all your other tabs plus work, so I would not buy 1 inch.
• Color coded plastic subject tabs (these are the ones I bought)

How I organize our binders by subject

You’ll want to label your tabs according to the subjects you have curriculum for.

Not all subjects will be paper based. For example, our 1st grade history and geography is not in our binder because we are reading living books on Early American History, and playing geography games to learn where states are with their matching capitals.

For my kindergartener:

• reading (I wrote it as “Dash”, which is her Dash Into Learning activity sheets plus corresponding beginner reader book) Get yours 20% off with code BLUEANDHAZEL20
• Extra (tracing pages and any fluff worksheets I find she can do just for fun…she loves that stuff!)
• done (a folder for all finished work that week)

For my 1st grader:

• language arts
• science (mostly nature study)
• done (to put all completed work for the week)

What goes into our homeschool binders for kindergarten and first grade

For kindergarten, we really only focus on reading, writing, and math.

Since Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons is a book and doesn’t go in the binder, math is the only “must do” tab each day for her. We are using Level 1 from Masterbooks this year. Side note, all Masterbook pages tear out very easily with their perforated edges!

We also aim to do some kind of handwriting, either one tracing page or a sentence of copy work from the bible. This goes into a wide ruled notebook, which I’ll store in her binder.

My 1st grader does math and language arts daily (this year we are using Masterbooks language lessons for a living education and math lessons for a living education). We also often use some kind of copy work from the bible or other form of writing if there’s not enough in that day’s language arts.

He does science once a week. We mainly focus on nature study as a family (all kids included, even my 3 year old) with Exploring Nature With Children I highly recommend this, and SO simple even for us non nature-y raised folk).

I did buy Adventures in Creation level 1 from Masterbooks to try with my 1st grader once a week along with Exploring Nature with Children. It’s also all nature study, and compliments our other nature curriculum so well! That’s where any of the worksheets come from for “science”.

How we decide what goes into each subject

I’m not sure how each company’s homeschool curriculum is organized, but the two I’ve used (The Good And The Beautiful and Masterbooks) have a set number of lessons for the year/ or level.

I never feel the need to plan out what lesson goes on which day, we simply do the lessons in order. So if you’re just starting a binder system and you’ve already finished through lesson 30 in math, then you would place lesson 31-35 in next week’s binder tab “math”.

Where it gets tricky is if a subject in your curriculum is made to do just 1, 2, or 3 times a week. Then you will just pull out that many lessons each week, not the full 5. Or add more if it seems too easy!

I generally pull about 5 lessons out for math and language arts. And even though we have a 4 day work week (5th day is our nature co-op), it’s not hard to do 5 lessons in 4 days.

And honestly, Masterbooks lessons are purposefully so short that we sometimes double up if the kids still have focus left in them.

Other items I keep in our binders

A wide ruled notebook . This keeps a nice record of copy work to see handwriting improvement, and is where we write and practice copying spelling words.

Flash cards. I use Masterbook’s right brain math flashcards (they tell you the answer) for simple addition problems. We take them out when the curriculum tells us to and practice about 10 at a time.

Spelling words week by week for easy reference. Our list came with our language arts book, so I just tore it out and put it in the front.

A printable clock. I made ours, and it’s in both kids’ binders since they are both learning time. You can get this in my Etsy shop , and the clock comes in yellow, blue, and black and white.

Number tracing printable . Also in my Etsy shop and in both kid’s binders. These are an easy add on to any day to practice number formation.

What to do if your homeschool books don’t have perforated edges

A lot of curriculum does not come with handy little perforated edges you can tear out.

For instance, I’m supplementing my kindergartener’s math with some fun worksheets from The Good And The Beautiful Level K. I rip those pages out I want each week, but the edges are torn from a spiral binding so very choppy.

I learned that you can take your books to an Office Depot or similar place and they will cut off the binding for you! I’d just call ahead to ask if they do it.

Downsides to tearing out your curriculum

One thing I’ve run into with tearing out curriculum is that it’s tricky to ever go back and find something again. Once it’s out of order and filed away somewhere…your not likely to be able to look on your child’s work neatly organized in order. I’m not too worried about that since I don’t plan to keep it all, just a few samples throughout the year. But just a thought!

You can organize all 36 weeks using a crate system

We actually opted to try a crate system for organizing a full year’s worth of homeschool curriculum by week . I spent a day doing that, and now just go to that week in the crate and get all the worksheets in there to file in the binder.

However, I’m not sure I love it, because it’s not super flexible if you work ahead or get far behind. I think next year, we will simply keep all the work in the original books, and tear out one week at a time for the binder.

Other ways to organize your homeschool curriculum

The binder system is just one way to store curriculum.

I’ve seen people:

• Keep a shelf for each child’s books.
• Buy each kid their own metal rolling cart.
• Simply keep curriculum on a shelf like I used to do and swap what books you need as you go for each kid.
• Give each child a clear plastic bin (labeled with their name) with all their workbooks in it. It’s easy to store, doesn’t require tearing out pages, and you can keep pencils and personal reading books in there too.

Find a system that works for you

The most important thing is to pick a system that makes sense for you. It needs to make your life easier!

If the thought of tearing out pages for each subject for each kid stresses you out, then maybe just try getting each child a bin for all their books.

I hope you’ll share what works or what hasn’t below! And I’d love it if you would head over to Instagram to follow our daily homeschool activities there. You got this!

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Wednesday 14th of February 2024

Love this! Thank you!

Wednesday 28th of December 2022

This is so dang great! I’ve been working this year at putting each day’s work in a clipboard but it’s very time consuming on a daily basis and if I miss an evening set up it cuts into the morning work because I have to catch up the clipboard. This is way easier and I’m annoyed I didn’t think of it! 🤣

Thursday 29th of December 2022

I think you'll love it! You can organize the tabs by day with all worksheet subjects to do, or organize by subject and put a week's worth in each subject. Hope it helps!

Tuesday 13th of December 2022

Thank you for post! I am homeschooling my son who is in kinder and he gets this long pouty face :( everytime I stack the books in the table. I'm going to try this and see if it helps with the moods. He's always asking how much we have to do so maybe if he sees exactly how much he has to do he'll have a better attitude.

Thursday 22nd of December 2022

I hope it helps!

Monday 18th of April 2022

We use a binder system but by month. It’s great to grab and go if we want to do school away from the house (library, cafe, friend’s house, park, etc).

Tuesday 19th of April 2022

O that's a neat way to do it. Do you still organize papers by week x 4 folders for a month? I'd love to hear more!

Wednesday 16th of March 2022

Super curious - does this mean curriculum cannot (and possibly should not) be reused? Will be homeschooling the up coming year for the first time.

Tiffany, most of the curriculum we use is one time use. Our math workbooks, handwriting pages, and some other subjects get written in and tossed. I buy again for each kid as needed. Some curriculums sell a PDF version, but not all. If you think you'll save money with multiple kids you might want to try that, but honestly it's not usually that much cheaper as you still have to buy the PDF version and then use your own paper and ink. Another option is to make copies of your books for your own family use if you want to just buy one physical copy to use for more than one kid.

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Math in the Middle

Ideas + Resources + More for the 5th - 8th Grade Math Classroom

Setting Up Student Math Binders

With school starting in just one month (YIKES!) it’s time to start planning and preparing for the year ahead. Last year I wrote about how I was planning to organize student notebooks with divider tabs . That was a WONDERFUL addition to our notebooks! I loved having them for multiple reasons – it kept the books more organized, helped students find their page faster, told students EXACTLY what lessons they needed to have in their notebooks to get full credit for their notes, and made grading notebooks a breeze. This year, however, I will be switching to binders so I am planning to make some changes.

Why am I switching? I have used binders in the past but switched to 3-subject notebooks years ago because the binders seemed too bulky. I have loved using the 3-subject notebooks because they worked perfectly for my needs. However, my school is switching to a new textbook series this year that doesn’t come with a workbook. In the past, I have typically assigned workbook pages as homework most nights. This year I will need to give worksheets as homework assignments since I won’t have workbooks, so I thought binders would be better given the increased number of handouts students will have this year.

How am I setting up the binders? Each student will have a ½ inch binder with 2 dividers (to split the binder into 3 sections). The front section will be for notes, the second section will be for classwork, and the third will be for homework. My plan is to run off all of the homework assignments for a unit at the beginning of the unit this year and give them to students in a packet, to put in the homework section. The classwork section is just for looseleaf/graph paper for students to write out work on or classwork worksheets. The front notes section is where they will actually take their notes each day. Their notes will mainly be a combination of basic notes taken on looseleaf paper and fill-in guided notes that I have created . I am not a big fan of notes that require a lot of folding, cutting, and pasting.

Am I still doing the divider tabs that I loved so much last year? YES! But, I’m doing them differently with the binders this year. I figured there was no sense in having students glue the notebook dividers onto paper this year since you can put whatever paper you want into binders thanks to their 3 rings. So, I am in the process of remaking my dividers for binders. I can’t just use a regular piece of paper as a divider because it isn’t big enough to stick out the side as a tab, so I turned the paper sideways and cut it down to 9 inches wide to make my new binder dividers. It only spans across 2 of the rings in the binder, but that should be enough. Here are some pictures of my new divider tabs. I am alternating using the top 2 rings and the bottom 2 rings so that the tabs are staggered.

I think that these will work out well. I also like that there is absolutely NO cutting & gluing required for students. I will copy the dividers, cut off the excess from the side with a paper cutter (which will leave me with lots of little pieces of bookmark-sized scrap paper, which I will definitely use), and hole punch them. Then all the students need to do is stick them in their binders – easy peasy!

To keep the binders neat, my plan is to have students empty out their classwork & homework sections after each unit so that they do not accumulate too much junk. I am excited to see how these work out this year.

The divider tabs pictured are for my first and second units in 7th grade. If you are curious as to how I structure my year, you can check out my scope & sequences in this blog post . I will likely make a few changes to it this year, but overall I was pretty happy my sequencing last year. If you are looking for ideas & resources for these first couple of units, you may want to check out the following:

UNIT 1: Number Sense Blog Posts : – Improving Number Sense with the Divisibility Rules – Teaching GCF & LCM Using the Cake Method – Using the Cake Method to find the GCF & LCM of 3 Numbers Resources : – Number Theory Bundle (covers divisibility, prime factorization, gcf & lcm) – Squares & Square Roots Paperless BINGO Game

UNIT 2: Integers Blog Posts : – Teaching Integer Addition – Teaching Integer Subtraction – Teaching Integer Multiplication & Division Resources : – Integer Bundle (includes a TON of resources on integer operations – worksheets, games, task cards, unit test – each can be purchased separately, as well) – FREE Paperless Integer Addition BINGO Game

Would you like to make your own binder divider tabs? Click the picture below for a FREE editable PowerPoint template you can use. If you are using notebooks instead, you can find the free notebook divider tabs template I used last year in this post .

** PS: I just started a brand new Facebook page .  I will be sharing ideas, lessons, freebies, resources and more so be sure to follow me there!   **

Thanks for reading, Christina

12 thoughts on “ Setting Up Student Math Binders ”

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Hi! Did these work out for you? I am considering adopting the idea for next year.

Yes! These worked out wonderfully this year and I will definitely continue using them future years!

Thank you for your response! Love your blog! Very inspiring.

Do you use store bought dividers and the ones that you made (which I’m in love with) in the student binder? I know you stated that you have students section their binders into three sections but how does that look? Thanks!

Hi Jessica,

Yes – the students have 2 store-bought dividers in their binders in addition to the homemade ones. However, next year I will switch to just one store-bought divider to separate the notes from everything else. So, the front section of their binder is just notes and is split up with my homemade dividers to separate the notes for each unit. (If you open one of my student’s binder, the first thing you see is my homemade unit 1 divider, followed by their unit 1 notes; then unit 2, etc.) After all their notes is a store-bought divider. Then all of their “stuff” that isn’t notes (homework, worksheets, scrap paper they use, etc). After each unit I tell them to dump all of the non-notes from their binder so they don’t get too full. However, even with kids dumping everything other than notes after each unit, some of their binders are still busting at the seams, so I will switch to 1 inch instead of 1/2 inch binders next year. I hope that clarifies my setup for you!

I can tell you after using the dividers and binders for a year now, I absolutely LOVED them! My students as a whole were much more organized this year and they worked out really well for me. Another thing I did was when I graded the notes after each unit, if there was a student whose binder was a mess and out of order, I fixed it for them at that point to set them straight before the next unit. That is something I couldn’t do with notebooks, and it made big (positive) difference with those students!

Thanks, Christina

Thank you so much for the clarification! I will definitely try your binder setup next school year. My school just purchased a math curriculum but I think I’m going to have to supplement it here and there; and your binder system will help tremendously with that. Thank you again for all of your helpful advice and resources (I purchased your math alphabet two years ago and I just realized you were the creator). Please keep the amazing resources and advice coming!

Aw, thank you so much!

Hi! I really like this strategy. Can you elaborate a little bit more on how you organized your self to grade the binders? What did you grade? Also, what did the students do with the stuff they took out of their binder at the end of each unit?

Hi Jennifer,

Grading the binders was pretty simple. On test days I had my students drop their binders off at my front table when they first came in the room. While they took the test I sat at the table and checked that they had notes for each of the lessons listed on the divider tab for that unit and that their notes included some type of explanation and completed example. On their divider I wrote a 0, 1, or 2 next to each lesson depending on whether they had the explanation and example, or just 1 of the two, or neither. At the bottom of the divder I wrote their total for that unit by adding up their points from each lesson. I then recorded it in my gradebook and that was pretty much it. It was a pretty quick and painless process.

For the most part students just threw out the old worksheets/homeworks after each unit. The notes were the only thing I cared that they held onto. Some students liked holding onto everything so those students had a bigger binder that they kept at home where they put all their old papers. That was totally optional, though, and I was perfectly fine with most of the students throwing out the old worksheets as long as they kept their notes.

I hope that helps!

Hi Christina!

I was wondering if you let the students take their binders home with them to do homework, then return them the next day or if you had a spot for the students to leave them in the classroom? If you have them take their binders home, how would you handle the students who would always forget to bring them back to school?

Thank you! Lindsey

Hi Lindsey,

I do allow students to take their binders home each day. To be honest, I have never had issues with students forgetting to bring them back the next day. They keep their homework in their binders so they are used to always bringing them back and forth.

– Christina

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Binder Covers

Stop wasting money on binders! Turn an old binder into a beautiful creation with our free binder covers. Personalize your binder cover template in less than a minute!

Free editable binder cover templates to create personalized binder covers with your own text. You can change the border, edit the text, and add images to customize the cover to your needs. It takes less than 1 minute to customize a template with our free online binder cover maker (see instructions below).

Revamp an Old Binder: Create a New Customized Binder Cover in Under 60 Seconds!

Free Binder Cover Templates

Floral designs.

Cute Binder Covers

Photo Collages

Black and White Designs

Science Binder Covers

Marble Binder Covers

We have a wide selection of trendy cute binder covers. Open the app and go to “backgrounds” on the right. Click on backgrounds and select the cute category.

You can use these cute templates to create cute cover pages for any purpose. Create a cute front cover for a notebook or journal or even create a sign or note for a friend.

Start with these ideas and see where your imagination takes you. With our customizable binder cover templates, you don’t need any experience or software to create unique esthetic binder covers in just a few clicks.

Unleash Your Creativity with Our Customizable Binder Cover Designs!

We offer many different cover templates to create your own personalized binder cover.

Endless Possibilities Await: With our user-friendly binder cover maker, you’re not limited to the designs you see. Each template can be easily personalized. Want to change the background? Easy. Looking to add a personal touch with text or stickers? We’ve got you covered. Our free app enables you to create a binder cover that’s uniquely yours.

We Provide Everything you Will Need: Our app offers many different backgrounds, various layouts, stickers, labels, and motivational quotes. Each can be added with a click of your mouse! Our goal is to help you to design a cover that reflects your personality, interests, or academic pursuits.

Whether you’re prepping for the new school year, organizing a project, or just looking to add a splash of creativity to your studies, our customizable binder cover designs are your canvas. Create a design that makes you smile every time you reach for your binder.

Start Creating Today: The designs above are merely samples. With our binder cover maker, the only limit is your imagination. Create endless designs by adding different images, text, stickers, and labels.

What can the free printable binder covers be used for?

Free printable binder covers offer a versatile and creative solution for organizing and personalizing various aspects of your daily life, work, or studies. Here are some of the most popular uses:

• School Binders: Teachers and students of all ages can customize their school binders for different subjects, making it easier to keep track of notes, assignments, and handouts. Since you can add photos you might want to add a class photo or a photo of your classroom.
• Home Organization: Use them to label binders for household management, such as for organizing bills, important documents, recipes, or family schedules. Store your savings tracker , expense tracker , and family budget. See our free organization printables that will make great additions to your binder.
• Work Projects: Professionals can create custom binder covers for different projects, client meetings, or training materials. Personalized covers can help make a good impression and keep materials organized. To add your company logo go to “Add Image”.
• Event Planning: Whether you’re planning a wedding, a birthday party, or any other event, custom binder covers can help you organize ideas, receipts, contracts, and plans in a visually appealing way. Use our binder dividers  to divide the binder into sections such as a budget for the event, seating plan, to-do list , guest list template , party planning checklist , seating chart , and more.
• Recipe Collections: Culinary enthusiasts can use them to compile their favorite recipes into themed binders, such as desserts, healthy meals, or family traditions. See our recipe template .
• Portfolio Display: Artists, writers, and other creatives can customize binders to hold their work, making for an attractive presentation of their portfolio.
• Crafting and Scrapbooking: Keep all your crafting projects, ideas, and inspirations organized with beautifully designed binder covers that reflect your creativity.
• Educational Resources: Teachers and educators can create thematic binders (such as a science binder cover ) for lesson plans, student assessments, or educational resources, making it easier to access and transport materials.
• Personal Journals and Diaries: A personalized binder cover can transform a simple binder into a private journal, diary, or a collection of personal writings. Insert our free journal template s into your binder.
• Gift Wrapping and Presentation: Customized binder covers can be used to create unique and personalized gift packaging, especially for presenting printed photo albums, recipe collections, or personal anthologies.

How to Turn a Binder into a Personalized Organizer

You don’t need to buy an expensive system to get organized. In fact, you can turn an old binder into a beautiful customized life organizer or home management binder that won’t cost you a penny!

• Create a personalized binder cover from any of the templates above.
• Make a list of all the things you will store in the organizer. Organize them into subjects. Depending on the size of the binder you can probably divide it into between 6 to 20 subjects or sections.
• Create binder dividers or divider tabs for each of those sections.
• If you want to make it really fancy then create a coordinating binder spine that you can personalize as well.

How to Use The Free Binder Cover Maker

Click on any of the templates or buttons above to open our free online binder cover maker.

• Select the binder template cover.
• Edit the text.
• Change the background if you wish (or use as-is).
• Click on the clip art gallery to add binder cover clipart to your template. You can add cute labels, tags, or stickers.
• Download as a PDF document or an image.

How to Save Money on Printing

We understand the importance of conserving ink (and saving money) without compromising on style and personalization. Our tool offers a variety of low-ink design options that are both elegant and ink-efficient. Here are some tips to create a stunning binder cover while keeping ink usage to a minimum:

• Opt for Minimalist Designs: Choose designs with more white space and less color coverage. Minimalist designs are not only trendy but also ink-friendly.
• Select Lighter Colors: Lighter shades require less ink compared to darker colors. You can opt for pastel backgrounds or light-colored themes for your cover.
• Use Line Art and Simple Graphics: Designs that incorporate line art or simple black and white graphics can significantly reduce ink usage. See our our black and white designs.
• Print in Draft Mode: When printing your custom binder cover, select the ‘draft’ print mode on your printer settings. This mode uses less ink and is perfectly suited for prints that don’t require high resolution.
• Adjust Your Printer Settings: Many printers offer settings that are optimized for saving ink. Explore options such as “ink saver” or “economy mode” in your printer’s settings before printing.

In what format are the binder cover printables available in?

You can download each template as an image (jpg, png, or SVG) or a PDF document. To download a binder cover PDF file, click on the download button (the cloud icon) and then select PDF.

What size are the binder cover pages?

The binder cover creator will generate full-size printable binder covers. However, if you need a smaller size, you can resize the page with your printer. Set the page size settings to the page you will need.

Why doesn’t my printed binder cover fit on one page?

Select “fit on page” on your printer to ensure that it fits on one page. If you are still having issues printing on one page then download your binder cover page and print it from your PC instead of clicking on “Print” on the app.

Where can I get more binder cover ideas?

The samples you see on this page are only select examples. Click on the buttons above to see more DIY binder cover ideas. Since you can change the borders and backgrounds, you can create millions of binder cover designs with the templates we offer. If there are any binder cover designs that you would like us to add to the selection available then please leave a comment below.

Do you have more binder templates?

Yes! You can create coordinating binder templates with our free app! Create binder dividers or divider tabs . And for an extra touch of sophistication, personalize a matching binder spine . Perfect harmony, personalized style.

Are there any low-ink options available to help save money on printing?

Absolutely! We understand the importance of conserving ink (and saving money) without compromising on style and personalization. Our free app offers a variety of low-ink design options that are both pretty and ink-efficient.

Try our black and white designs. You can change to any color if you don’t specifically want a black and white cover. You can also change the color of the label.

You can create thousands of minimalist aesthetic binder covers with these templates. Black and white covers are useful when you don’t want to print in color.

The images above show some binder cover ideas but the possibilities are endless! These are only a few samples. You can make unlimited designs with our free tool!

Binder Cover Ideas

Here is a selection of binder cover ideas to turn an old binder into a beautiful creation.

1. Academic Inspirations: Gear up for the school year with covers that scream academic success. Create a cover with a subject-specific theme or a generic cover with motivational quotes that inspire you to open the binder and dive into learning.

2. Artistic Expressions: Let your creativity loose with designs that showcase your artistic side. Abstract patterns, floral designs, or watercolor backgrounds can make your binder a portable art piece. Add stickers or other elements with a click of your mouse to create a cover that’s as unique as you are.

3. Personal Passions: Celebrate what you love. Are you a music enthusiast, a sports or nature lover? Customize your binder with elements that reflect your passions, from musical notes to action shots from your favorite sports. Insert any image from our free gallery with millions of images that you can add with one click of your mouse.

4. Minimalist Chic: Sometimes, less is more. Create a clean, minimalist cover that stands out for its simplicity. Use a monochromatic color scheme or subtle patterns for a sleek, professional look that suits every setting. You can change the color of the pattern and add a customizable label.

5. Seasonal Themes: Keep your binder in tune with the seasons. From the blooming flowers of spring to the cozy vibes of winter, seasonal themes can refresh your motivation throughout the year. It’s a perfect way to stay connected with the world outside your studies or work. We also offer quotes for each month of the year.

6. Inspirational Quotes: A powerful quote can set the tone for your day. Choose a saying that lifts you up, sparks motivation, or simply makes you smile. To add a quote, click on the “Binder Covers” icon and then choose the quotes folder. Click on any quote to add it to your cover.

7. Custom Calendars and Schedules: Stay organized by adding a calendar or your weekly schedule directly onto your binder cover. Not only does it keep your important dates at a glance, but it also adds a functional element to your design.

8. Personal Photos or Artworks: There’s nothing more personalized than a cover featuring your own photography or artwork. Showcase your memories or artistic creations for a cover that truly represents you. Click on “Add image” and upload your image to your cover. Move it around until you are satisfied with its position.

9. Cute Binder Covers : We have a wide selection of cute binder covers. Click on the button below to open the binder cover maker and go to “backgrounds” on the right. Click on backgrounds and select the cute category.