Organization Skills for Teens: The Key to Staying Organized
This session teaches organization skills for students, helping middle and high school students see how staying organized supports their bigger goals. They start with a guiding question, then discuss how one student could adjust the way they set up and use a planner so it actually helps. A quick game asks them to weigh situations and possible responses, and they leave with routines and strategies they can adapt to their own workload.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Executive Functioning
- Grade level
- Middle & High School
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video lessonThe Key to Staying Organized
In this video lesson, students learn how to stay on top of growing responsibilities by using a planner, establishing a routine, color coding materials, breaking big tasks into smaller ones, and removing distractions.
- Extension activity
The Key to Staying Organized Journal
In this journal activity, students name two new strategies they will use to stay organized at school, making a concrete plan to put their organization skills into practice.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: 4-7-8 Breathing2:13
- Video: Obstacles into Opportunities Visualization1:19
- Video: Yoga Pose Library
Session Opener
Guiding Question: Why does staying organized matter?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned how staying organized helps them manage growing responsibilities like deadlines and busy schedules. They practiced strategies such as using a planner and setting up consistent routines to keep track of what they need to do. We talked about how organization can make daily life feel less overwhelming and free up more time.
Key Terms
- Organizational Strategies
- The specific methods you use to stay on top of your responsibilities, like making a to-do list, breaking a goal into smaller steps, or using labels and reminders. You pick the ones that work best for you and stick with them daily.
- Routine
- A routine is a set of steps you follow in a certain order that helps you know what to expect. Routines can make things feel easier because they help you remember what to do next and support your focus and independence.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
-
Executive Functioning
Given a multi-step task, learner will use at least one self-selected organizational strategy (e.g., visual planner, breaking the task into steps, visual timer) to initiate and work through the task with decreasing adult support in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the classroom, when a student mentions an upcoming due date, try asking where they want to write it down so they can find it later. Letting them choose the planner format makes it more likely they will keep using it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on The Key to Staying Organized is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for middle and high school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on The Key to Staying Organized, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, The Key to Staying Organized Journal.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, executive functioning.
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