4 Ways to Store Book Companions, Plus Organization Freebie

Is it me or are we always trying to find a new and better system? I've seen lots of great organization tips lately, and I wanted to share a few of my own for how you can store materials that go with your books.

Because your materials can all look different, it's possible to store things in more than one way. I have four different ways I store things based on what I have. I also have an organization freebie for you at the end!

When I first started really organizing my materials, I went with this system that utilized gallon sized storage bags bags, which actually worked really well for a long time. I used it for everything! But when I was ready for an upgrade, I traded those for these zipper pouches, which I like even better. This system works best for book companions that have lots of pieces, such as cards that you've cut and laminated. My Bear book companions include several card decks, so it's nice to be able to keep them all together in these pouches.

Now that I've whittled down some of my materials, I mostly store book companions alphabetically in these Sterilite file boxes. I still have some themed boxes too, so if a book is for a specific holiday, I store it there because I know won't use it any other time of year.

For no prep worksheets that go with books, I typically just print as I need them, so there isn't any need for a storage system. But I have some SLP buddies that like to keep master hard copies…is that you too? I would use a binder in that situation, tabbed alphabetically for easy navigation.

For resources that are only one page, like these picture book lesson plans for the year, I like to use washi tape! It easily lifts off without messing up your book and it's always inside the cover when you need it. Super convenient if you ask me. Pro tip::: if the cover of your book isn't very big, you can just fold it in half!

When I just have a few little pieces, like story props, I like to use these adhesive labels. They are 3×5, so they can store quite a few small things and I just stick them on the inside cover and stuff pieces inside. They don't fall out like I was a little worried they would…. it works great!

But how do you keep up with where everything is??? I keep a spreadsheet, and I'm sharing one with you that is similar…plus the storage labels! It's a PowerPoint file, so you can add text boxes to type what you need to. I hope it's helpful, you can grab it here.