Is there a magic item of statonery that....

[Secondstartothergt]

.....stops y7 boys from stuffing loose pieces of paper into their bags so they become torn and crumpled? I’ve tried giving him those plastic wallets with a zip but he doesn’t use them.

Any ideas for a solution gratefully received!

The magic item you are looking for is common sense! Talk to him, he should be able to keep a piece of paper safe in a plastic wallet in a bag. Unless there's a learning difficult?

I have the same issue with my 13 year old.

I bought him clear plastic wallets for each subject so that he could keep them tidy, even cleared a drawer so that he didn't need to take all of them to school everyday but no... He prefers to have all of his scruffy jotters in his bag whether he needs them or not!

Dd is now 16, and work3d out last year that studying for her exams is much easier if her notes weren't screwed up into a ball from being rammed in her bag. Easier to find it all if you keep it together by subject too. Who knew! obviously not me, despite the years of nagging

Her school stuff is now impeccably neat and tidy. She'd never admit I was right though

Mine both use a plastic wallet with elastic that goes over the corner like in this photo. Obviously if he refuses to use it it won't help though

I’d love a magic piece of stationery that doesn’t come home half chewed

Thanks for the replies! No learning difficulties, just scruffy and disorganised- I was hoping to avoid common sense as that’s a bit of an issue! We have talked about it but he is very forgetful.

I will try the folders with the elastic - they’re a bit more rigid than the plastic wallets so less likely to get hidden. I’m not holding out much hope though!

Yes to the anti-chew stationery too. And pens that don’t mysteriously ‘explode’ and arrive home in all their component parts.

We use the plastic wallets with poppers

Cheap gel pens do leak. I never had an exploding pen throughout secondary but have found cheap gel pens that are around now do leak

Ds(y8) will fold them in half and put them in his planner. He's finally learned to be very careful with water bottles and rain.

My Y7 has just one plastic wallet in her bag and a ring binder with subject dividers at home. She finds it much easier to just bung everything in together day to day, then she clears it out every so often or you could supervise that bit