homework folder tpt

Printable Preschool Homework Folder Covers

Do you include some sort of homework in your preschool program? Although we don’t believe preschoolers should be getting lengthy assignments or nightly worksheets to take home, we do think having some sort of homework can be a great parental involvement tool that both the kids and parents can enjoy.

Parents like to know how they can support their child’s learning at home, and they like to know what kinds of things kids are learning in the classroom. Plus kids love showing what they can do and sharing all they are learning with their families. This is one tool for helping them do that.

Printable Preschool Homework Calendars

In our printable preschool homework calendar set (available in our shop and on TpT ) we share a full year’s worth of activity ideas for homework that require little preparation and are fun for kids. Each week includes a math activity, a language/literacy activity, a movement activity, a “helpful” activity, and a drawing activity.

You can see an example and learn a little more about the use of the homework calendars in this homework calendar post  on Fun-A-Day.

But we know teachers are also organizers, and we like to have things nicely labeled and in order. So we knew you’d like to have a cover for these homework folders. Well you’re in luck. We’ve got some…and they’re free!

In this free printable set there are:

• 3 Different Folder Cover Options-One that says “Homework Folder”, one that says “Take Home Folder” and one that says “Preschool Folder”
• 7 Different Designs for Each Cover Option-one option with two children, three boy options, four girl options, and one blank option if you want to let kids design their own cover

The covers are black and white so kids can personalize them and add their own unique touch.

Tips for Using Your Homework Folders

Decide whether you will have a separate homework folder or whether you will  include homework calendars in one main take home folder. The are pros and cons to both. If you have a separate homework folder kids can add any drawings and notes to the folder and return it when it is due instead of having things in the main folder daily. However, sometimes having two folders means one might get misplaced or not get returned on the due day. Whatever you decide clearly explain the expectations to your parents and keep an extra folder or two on hand just in case.

Choose whether you will ask for the homework to be returned or not. Some teachers prefer to send homework calendars home as an option and do not ask for them to come back to school. (If you choose this option, you may not want to have separate homework folders.) Others like to have kids bring their homework back as a way to see what families have done and recognize the work the kids did at home.

If you will be requesting that the homework calendars get returned, decide whether you’ll be collecting it weekly or monthly and be sure to notify (and remind!) parents.

Make turning it in an event if you can by allowing kids to share one of their favorite homework activities. If you’re using separate homework folders, they can choose a drawing that they did. They can also describe an activity they did at home. This can lead to a lot of wonderful sharing opportunities and class discussion.

Share Your Thoughts

Do you use homework folders? What type of system do you use for classroom management? What tips would you add here?

Similar Posts

Editable Planning Templates for Distance Learning

Preschool Planning for the Year

Developing Monthly Lesson Plans for Preschool

Emergent Writing Checklist for PreK and Kindergarten

Preschool Lesson Plan Template for Weekly Planning

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Review Cart

No products in the cart.

Language & Grammar

Science & Social Studies

Digital Learning

Homework folders for primary students.

Homework has always been something that I’ve created at the last minute for the students. In the past, it usually ended up being an activity or reading passage that we didn’t get to finish for the day. But then, I wanted to more intentional about my homework. And I wanted to make sure I gave my kids an opportunity to spiral review their prior standards.  Click to read this blog post about spiraling your homework!   So, here we go. Let’s talk about setting up homework folders for primary students!

All students will get a homework folder. Homework folders should be the plastic material, which is a little more expensive, but if students are using them throughout the year, these hold up best.

(Affiliate Link:  Amazon Folders )I suggest going with the plastic covered ones. They tend to stick around and stay in one piece the longest. I also suggest the three prongs on the inside, so that you can hole punch the homework and attach it to the middle. If you don’t have the three prongs, no worries. You can just slide the homework behind your assignment sheet.

Click the image to grab this  FREEBIE !

Start with a three-prong folder. Plastic will work best because it’ll keep a little better than the paper folders.

On the left side of the folder, place the assignment list for the entire week.

On the right side of the folder, place the book the child is reading for the week. They have 15 minutes of nightly reading assigned to them, so that’ll be the easiest way to keep up with the book. The picture on the right shows me pointing to the area that parents sign to keep the children accountable for their reading.

Take the Math, Reading, Writing, and Language/Foundations and place them into the three prongs. Front/back is suggested to save paper!

This is a glimpse at one week of second grade with the assignment sheet (which is on the left of your folder), plus the four sheets of work (which either goes into the prongs or into the right side).

Homework Resources

Kindergarten Entire Year Link

First Grade Entire Year Link

Second Grade Entire Year Link

Third Grade Entire Year Link

You may also like this post about homework in the classroom

• Read more about: Classroom Organization , Uncategorized

You might also like...

3 Easy Times to Squeeze Speaking and Listening Skills into Your Day

In today’s blog post we will talk about incorporating speaking and listening skills in your elementary classroom! Finding time to focus on these crucial skills

Introduction to Fractions: Partitioning, Shares, and Fractions in 1st and 2nd Grade

Hello teachers! Welcome to today’s blog post, where we will dive into the fascinating world of fractions, tailored specifically for 1st and 2nd-grade classrooms. Fractions

Teaching Text Features in the Spring

This isn’t the first time we’ve discussed using the current season as a way to make your ELA content more engaging. Adding the element of

Join these happy teachers

Join the email list.

Get teaching tips, how-to guides, and freebies delivered right to your inbox every Wednesday!

Hi, I'm Jessica

I help elementary teachers master the standards by providing helpful standards-based tips, guides, and resources.

Let's Connect

Access your purchases

© Elementary Nest • Website by KristenDoyle.co

Homework Folders (a.k.a. GOLD Folders)

Heidi and I started using these homework folders several years ago. We certainly didn’t invent the idea, although I believe we’ve made it our own and came up with our own acronym. It’s been revamped many times since we started but meet the G.O.L.D. homework folder, as Heidi is using it this year. G.O.L.D. stands for G etting O rganized, L earning D aily. We used to have one called FROG which stood for Fully Responsible Organized and Growing. The original idea for these called for using 3-ring binders, but we just couldn’t afford that. So our folder is the flexible, plastic, 3-pronged kind.

Folder Contents

The front inside pocket is for Important Papers from School such as school newsletters, fliers, etc.

The first item in the folder is a fabric zipper pocket for Money and Permission Slips, the important stuff such as lunch money, book orders and permission slips.

The very first page is an introduction to the G.O.L.D folder and Do’s and Dont’s for using the folder.

The next pages are the lunch calendar, classroom schedule, homework tips and handwriting guide. In general, we wanted the page protector portion of the folder to be items that don’t need to be changed often, if at all.

The last page is information about sight words and the 100 2nd Grade Sight Words. Next is a plastic folder sheet (with tab cut off.) The front pocket holds regular homework and the back holds the monthly reading calendar. When we first started these, we had a separate pocket for each type of homework (spelling, review, fluency, reading calendar, etc.) Those extra pockets made it difficult to close the brads on the folder and one two-sided pocket works just fine.

Last comes a few sheets of paper for writing notes between the teacher and home. I tried to check these quickly every day for any notes. I also tried to write at least a quick note every couple of months, just for a personal check in with parents.

The last pocket for Super Duper Work to Keep at Home holds student’s finished work.

Storing the Folders in the Classroom

Heidi and I both keep our student’s desks turned around so they don’t use the insides. Instead we use a plastic drawer system to hold workbooks, notebooks, etc. (See photo below.) Each table stacked their GOLD folders on top of their table’s drawers. That way I could see who was bringing them each day and I could quickly flip through them for lunch money, notes from home etc. But I did also set the expectation that if there was something in their folder I needed to see that they were supposed to put it on my table in the morning. I still tried to check them daily because not all students were aware when a parent had written a note in the back.

Here is an old photo of the drawers in my classroom. The folders would be stacked where the table names are, on top of the drawers.

Supplies for Making the Folders

– flexible, plastic 3-pronged folders like these – but all the same color(1 per student) – zipper pouch, 3-holed like these (1 per student) – plastic page protectors like these (4 per student) – plastic pocket dividers like these (1 per student) – notebook paper like this (3-5 sheets per student) – shipping style labels, 10 per sheet like this (1 sheet per student, but you won’t need a whole sheet)

We’re sharing for free download some of the papers for the folders. Head over to our TpT store to download the freebie.

One of the earliest incarnations of this type of organizations systems was as a M.O.O.S.E. binder. There are all sorts of resources on this blog . If you scroll down on this post , you can read how other teachers use theirs. Plus here are a bunch of acronyms to fit any theme . And Mrs. Mecham’s blog explains her classroom BEE books.

Hopefully you can find some tips if you plan to make homework folders for your own class!

• Read more about: classroom organization , freebies , homework

You might also like...

10 Ways to Build Your Classroom Library (On a Budget!)

Collective Noun Cauldrons – A Spooky Grammar Freebie for Halloween!

The First Day of School in 2nd Grade

After a combined 14 years in 2nd grade, sisters Heidi & Emily are passionate about helping simplify life for other teachers!

Find what you need

What can we help you with.

Stay in the Loop

Get the latest tips and updates straight to your inbox.

• Skip to main content

Whohoo! The new SHOP is open! Click HERE to shop now! 🛒

• NEW – All About Word Mapping!
• Shop My Site
• Search this website

A Teachable Teacher

An inspirational and resourceful website for primary teachers.

Homework Folder for Primary Grades

About this product, this resource includes:.

• Directions on how to make the folders
• Directions on how to edit the folder cover
• 1 EDITABLE PowerPoint file (PPTX) (Cover)
• 1 Homework Helper (not editable)

Information on the Homework Helper includes:

• Uppercase and Lowercase manuscript alphabet
• Short/long vowels chart with clip art
• 1-120 chart
• 1-10 number line with touch point numbers
• b-e-d (“b” VS “d”) diagram
• Left hand VS Right hand diagram
• 2D and 3D shapes

You can print the covers with a line and then write in each student’s name OR you can type each student’s name into the  editable file  and then print. The first option allows you to prepare these homework folders during the summer, before all the back-to-school madness, which is what I like to do!

**Please note that you are NOT able to move or edit the graphics. These items are locked down in order to respect the artists’ terms of use. You must have PowerPoint (.PPTX) to edit this file.**

Hey, I’m Lauren!

I help elementary teachers streamline their phonics and reading instruction by giving them all of the the information and resources they need to maximize every reading lesson and raise their students’ reading levels once and for all.

Fluttering Through the Grades

Homework Folders that Help!

July 7, 2012

When we first began creating homework folders 15 years ago, we just thought we were putting a cute lil ’ folder together to keep their crap all in one place pump our students up about their nightly studies. Little did we know, they would turn into a wonderful, motivating resource not only for our little friends, but also for their families too.

We pulled these out to prep the other day and decided Nooooo , not gonna cut it. First, it didn’t have any of our new Just So Scrappy 2 clipart we purchased. Also, we are on a roll with this ocean, blue, green, white theme, so it had to match…And, it all sorta snowballed from there.

Here’s our first 3 with many more to come…

We’re kinda addicted in love!

Here’s the one we made for our own class. 

Goes with this year’s theme.

Under the Sea Homework Folder

There’s just something about school supplies and red and blue. 

Just makes us feel smart. 

School is Cool Homework Folder  

The rebels in us needed to rock this one out. 

Rock the Class!!! Homework Folder

We have learned that many families are very willing to help their children with their homework, but are often uncertain as to how to help. 

Our Homework Helpers give students and parents a handy folder to guide them through their first years of homework. By providing parents and students with resources at their fingertips that cover many of the foundational Common Core Standards, we can provide families with multiple learning opportunities and reinforcement activities at home. Amazing what a little folder can do! 

We teach our students and families how to utilize the folder. We discuss it at our parent nights, during parent conferences, and use it in class to teach the students how to best use this first “reference “tool. 

The printables are intended to be adhered to a 2-pocket folder (not included). We often find these (in lots of colors) at office stores on super sale before school begins in August.  We print, glue and laminate the folders over the summer, before school begins.

The first 3 are in our TpT store now. Head on over and take a look. 🙂

We’ve still got loads of clipart…got any ideas for a theme? Leave us some bloggy love and we’ll see what we can do…

Fluttering Through First Grade is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to https://www.amazon.com/shop/flutteringthroughfirstgrade. Clicking on this URL or any affiliate links on this site allows us to earn a small fee to maintain our blog, but there is no additional cost to you, the customer. Thanks for your support!

The Classroom

• Back to School
• Language Arts

Join our Newsletter

@fluttering_through_the_grades.

Topbar Social Icons

Homework Folder Labels

When clicking on the pic of Daily Homework/Return to School I am directed to the Teacher-Parent Communicator. Do you mind sending it to me via email. Thanks! Constance [email protected]

Daily homework is the second page of the PDF

Labels look great! Thanks! By the way, the left column of the Spanish version of daily homework/return to school is incomplete. It says Tarea diaria/Para... Left off "Devolver"

Post a Comment

4th grade Math yearly homework weeks 1-4

• Google Drive™ folder

Also included in

Description

These are standards based cyclical math problems. Each standard set is revisited throughout the weekly homework. 4 days for each week. 8 total problems 4 - current listed content area (NF,NBT,MD,G,OA) and 4 review standards that have been covered before.

Many problems are multi-step word problems as well as deeper thinking problems. There are copies in both English and Spanish. These will update as needed to improve and follow current and future content standards.

Questions & Answers

Lemmons leopards.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think