Items To Toss or Keep at the End of the School Year

Shuffling through all your child’s school stuff at the end of the year is a hassle. It’s even more troublesome to determine which items to toss or keep at the end of the school year. To ensure you don’t get rid of essential supplies and mementos or use up valuable storage space at home, check out our recommendations for distinguishing what to trash, keep, or donate this summer.

Backpacks

Most backpacks are designed with the durability to last at least 2 years. Some backpacks that are taken care of, however, can last upward of 10 years! So, it’s likely that your child’s backpack is good to stick around for the upcoming school year. It could even get some use for trips to the pool or any summer vacations the family goes on.

There are a few notable occasions on which you’ll want to donate or toss your child’s backpack. Per the top backpack safety tips every parent should know, you should swap out their bookbag if it makes them uncomfortable. If your child hit a growth spurt during the school year, consider donating their backpack to a school in need. Of course, you’ll need to toss it if it’s a worn hand-me-down pack that’s a bit too tattered for another school year.

Homework

Once your child’s homework has been graded and returned, there’s really no need to keep it around—especially after school’s let out. Holding onto one homework assignment could snowball into keeping years’ worth of work crammed into miscellaneous home office drawers. Avoid cluttering up your home by recycling assignments at the end of each year.

Crafts

A craft is one of the most difficult items to toss or keep at the end of the school year because it reflects your child’s creativity at that specific age. Unfortunately, not all macaroni necklaces can hang around forever. Select a few special crafts that your child was really proud of to hold onto.

Be sure that for every craft you keep, you have a designated storage spot to keep it, so you don’t end up holding onto too many crafts. If you have a hard time throwing your child’s crafts away, you can always take a photo of their creation for safekeeping.

Pencils, Markers, Crayons, Etc.

Because no messy drawer needs another dried-up marker or half-used notepad, try to purge all the extra school supplies at the end of the year. If you want to salvage some materials, you can sift through your child’s supplies with them, setting aside any pencils, markers, notebooks, etc., that are still in quality condition. If you know you’ll just have to purchase new supplies again in the fall, you may find educational organizations that accept gently used and unused supplies as donations.

Please comment below and let me know what you often keep and toss after the school year is over. Also, please do not forget to share if you found this article helpful or informative.

Sincerely,