Tips for Organizing Your Themed Materials & Preschool Printables

Organizing Themed Materials & Prinables tn Your Preschool Program

As preschool teachers, we know how essential printables and themed materials are for keeping children engaged and excited about learning. From alphabet activities to seasonal crafts, printables are a go-to resource. But with so many materials to manage, keeping them organized can feel like a challenge. If your printables and thematic materials are not stored efficiently, it can lead to wasted time during lesson planning and even cause stress when you're trying to find that one sheet you need!

In this post, I’ll share some tried-and-true tips for organizing your themed materials and preschool printables so you can easily access them when it's time to teach.

Finding a home for everything

The first step in organizing your printables and themed materials is to create designated storage spaces for everything. How much space you have will influence how you organize, but no matter your space limitations, it’s important to keep things consistent.

• Large Storage Areas: If you have the luxury of a storage area, you can organize by individual themes. Use bins, boxes, or baskets to group materials by theme, like "Farm Animals," "Weather," or "Under the Sea."
• Limited Storage: For smaller spaces, consider organizing by season or month, so you don’t have to store everything in separate boxes. A seasonal box or a monthly theme box is an effective way to reduce clutter.
  

Tip: IKEA makes great furniture for organizing your themed materials.  Rolling carts and Trofast storage units are fantastic for storing materials, and they make it easy to move supplies around the classroom!

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Create a Filing System for Printed Materials

One of the simplest ways to store printables is by using a traditional filing system.
A filing cabinet or file box with labeled folders can keep your materials organized by theme, subject, or age group.

• Use Hanging Folders or File Folders: Label each folder with a category (e.g., “Alphabet Activities,” “Counting Games,” or “Seasonal Crafts”) and store printables related to each topic in its corresponding folder.
• Color Code Your Files: For quicker identification, consider color-coding the folders by subject, activity type, or month. For example, use green folders for math, red for literacy, and yellow for art projects.
  

Tip: If space is tight, consider using an expandable file folder system that can store a variety of materials in one portable unit.

File Folders or Portable File Boxes for Compact Storage

Tip: If you create Themed file boxes it's easy to add other materials and keep them together.

I ultimately decided to create 52- individual themed file boxes for my childcare program. Because I had so many Themes, I knew I wanted something reasonably priced and something I could stack easily in my storage room.  One of the other benefits of using Bankers Boxes was that I could also include a hanging file in each one to store my theme related printables, and there was still plenty of room to add manipulatives, felt stories,  and other related materials.

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Store Printables in Binders with Sheet Protectors

One of the most effective ways to store printables is in 3-ring binders. This method is simple, customizable, and keeps your materials organized and accessible.

• Use Clear Plastic Sleeves: Insert your printables into plastic sheet protectors to keep them protected from wear and tear. This also makes it easy to flip through them when planning lessons.
• Create Dividers: Use dividers with labeled tabs for easy access to specific themes or subjects. Color-coded dividers are an excellent visual tool to further organize your materials.
  

Tip: For easy access, create a table of contents inside the binder so you can quickly locate specific printables. You can also add dividers to separate different themes.

If you are storing your centers in binders you can store non-laminated sheets in page protectors (to save on laminating).

Laminated pages are a little too big to fit into most page protectors, but have no fear! Some options include purchasing larger page protectors (such as those made for sheet music), hole punching the laminated sheets, or attaching stick on ring binder strips. If all else fails you can simply slide them into the pocks of most binders.

Small Zipper pouches are great for storing smaller pieces.

Larger zipper pouches are great to keep everything contained. If you are lucky you can find some of these at the dollar tree and they are available online.

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Digital Storage for Easy Access

For those who prefer digital storage, organizing printables on your computer or cloud storage system offers several advantages. You can access your materials from any device and reduce physical clutter in your classroom.

• Create Folders on Your Computer: Organize printables into specific folders based on themes, subjects, or activity types. Use clear names for your files, like “Apple Counting Activity” or “Spring Shape Matching.”
• Use Cloud Storage: Services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive allow you to store printables digitally and access them from any device. This is especially useful for educators who work in multiple locations.
• Link these folders to a Digital Inventory Sheet like this one I've created in Airtable

Tip: Use a consistent naming system and create subfolders to keep your printables organized and easily searchable.

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Use a Drawer or Cart System for Quick Access

For daily access to your printables, a rolling cart or set of drawers can keep materials organized yet within arm’s reach. This method works well if you need to access your printables on a frequent basis during lessons.

• Drawer Units: Invest in a multi-drawer unit where each drawer can be dedicated to a different set of activities. For example, one drawer could hold alphabet printables, another could hold number-related activities, and another could hold theme-based resources like “Farm Animals” or “Weather.”
• Rolling Carts: A rolling cart can be loaded with a variety of printables and supplies, and moved to different areas of the classroom as needed.

Tip: Make sure each drawer or compartment is clearly labeled so you can quickly grab the correct materials. You can also color-code drawers to correspond with different themes.

Make Use of Expanding File Folders

If you’re tight on space or need a portable option for storing printables, an expanding file folder can be a lifesaver.

• Portable Organization: Choose a large expanding file folder with several sections and label each section for different categories, such as “Math,” “Reading,” or “Seasonal.”
• Multi-Category File Folder: Use one file folder for each topic or theme you are working on, and expand it as needed when new printables are added.

Tip: Expandable file folders are great for teachers who need to bring materials to different locations, as they are portable and easy to carry.

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Organize by Theme or Season

Click here to grab your free copy of these cover and labels!

One of the most effective ways to organize your printables and thematic materials is by theme or season. This helps you quickly locate materials that fit with the lesson or time of year.

• Themed Storage: Use labels to mark your boxes, folders, or binders with theme names like "Spring," "Farm," or "Ocean Animals." This makes it easy to grab a whole set of related materials when needed.
• Seasonal Organization: If your focus shifts with the seasons, organizing by seasons—Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer—can help keep everything in order.

Tip: Rotate your printables with the seasons so that the kids can experience new materials and activities throughout the year.

You will want to make sure you clearly write the name of each Theme on the outside of your box, or use our free labels. If you are using plastic boxes you can add Masking/Washi Tape labels for easy removal.

Store Printables in Pocket Folders or Hanging File Systems

For printables that you use frequently, that you want to keep in one place but don’t want to organize into binders, consider using pocket folders or a hanging file system.

• Hanging File Folders: These work especially well if you don’t have space for filing cabinets. Each hanging folder can be labeled with a theme or activity type, making it easy to grab what you need during lessons.
• Pocket Folders: Keep your printables in large pocket folders, one folder per theme or subject. This is a great option for smaller batches of printables that don’t need to be stored in a large binder.

Tip: Using pocket folders for each subject makes it easy to store activities for a specific unit and prevents printables from becoming scattered.

Create a “Current Use” Folder or Basket

To make things even more convenient, set up a “Current Use” folder or basket. This is where you can store printables and materials you plan to use during the upcoming week or month. It will help you stay organized and avoid searching for the right resources during lesson planning.

• Use a Basket or Folder: For printables you need for the current week, create a folder or basket where you can place all the materials you’ll use in your classroom.
• Rotate Materials Regularly: At the end of each week, update the folder with materials for the next week to ensure you’re always prepared.

Tip: Store any extra printables or leftover materials in a separate folder or box to avoid clutter in your "Current Use" storage.

Regularly De-clutter and Review Your Collection

It’s important to regularly go through your printables to remove outdated or unused items. This ensures that your storage system stays organized and your resources remain relevant.

• Purge Unused Printables: Take the time to review your printables each season and remove any materials you no longer use or need.
• Donate or Recycle: If you come across printables that aren’t being used, consider donating them to other educators or recycling them.

Tip: Set a reminder to periodically review and reorganize your collection, such as at the start of each new school year or season.

Storing Books & Other Thematic Materials you Rotate with Different Themes

Organizing books and thematic materials (like props, manipulatives, or toys) in your preschool program is just as important as organizing printables. If you rotate these materials based on the themes you’re teaching, it's important to keep everything organized and accessible so you can quickly grab what you need for any given lesson. Here are some practical ideas to help keep everything organized in your storage room.

Free Products to Keep you Organized

Remembering all of the printables, books, toys, and resources you own can be a challenge. You'll want a system to keep track of what you have. Grab a copy of my Free Theme Planning Guide where you can print a materials list. Simply highlight any of your rotational items that are not in your Theme Boxes. Keep them in a binder, and refer to it when you change out your items.

Putting in the effort in the beginning to keep your materials organized will pay off in the end! Did you find this helpful? Let me know if the comments!