How do you get your kids to remember their stuff?!

[BornToFolk]

DS has just started year 1. I think he's forgotten something every day so far. Either his jumper gets left behind, or his lunchbox or, most often, his reading book. Today it was all 3, plus he forgot to go to ICT Club at lunchtime...

I remind him at the beginning of the day but by the end of the day it's been totally forgotten.

Is there any solution, or is it just an inescapable fact of school life?

Yes, from Y7 we charge them half the cost of the music lesson if they forget to go, and part of the cost of any lost items, on a sliding scale. The latter rule gives them an incentive to actually look for the item in lost property.

I am definitely going to implement that when he's older if nothing has improved!

mine are reception and Yr1 so I check they have everything in the morning, all laid out in the hall. After school I do a quick check of bag, coat, cardigan, lunchbox, drink, glasses, reading book - less than 30secs to sweep the bag and check. So far only glasses have been forgotten a couple of times and once or twice a drink bottle or cardi been left in the classroom where they had been sat waiting to be dismissed.

I agree, some children just find it harder to remember things, they do need to be trained though, those girls who get asked to help all the time do get fed up with it (both of mine are often asked to help kids get dressed after PE, help whoever do whatever because they are good at things like that and they don't mind to a point but it does get frustrating when someone's older sister comes to find them in the playground at break to ask them to remind their little brother to take something home with them)