Jeff McRitchie

Binder Accessories

Students everywhere are starting back at school for another year of learning. Armed with notebooks and pencils, they fill their backpacks and head out the door every morning. Here are a few extra accessories for your child's three ring binder that can help them to stay organized.

Students everywhere are starting back at school for another year of learning. Armed with notebooks and pencils, they fill their backpacks and head out the door every morning. But as time progresses, homework and handouts start coming home and can clutter up binders and backpacks. Here are a few extra accessories for your child's three ring binder that can help them to stay organized.

• Binder Pockets. Binder pockets allow you to store papers without punching holes in them. They reinforced plastic resists tearing and lets you reuse them again and again. Several different companies make these, including Avery, Smead, and more. They generally come in a package of five or so in a variety of colors and can hold 20 or more sheets. Look for ones with tabs on the edge and they can double as dividers.

• Dividers. While many binder pockets can work as dividers, traditional paper ones work better in some situations. For example, students often enjoy doodling on and decorating their own dividers. The great thing about index tabs is the variety. You can find ones that accommodate any type of organization need. They come in different sizes, colors,with different numbers of tabs, with preprinted tabs, with pockets, and more. And since so many brands offer dividers, they are relatively inexpensive.

• Zipper Pockets. Similar to binder pockets, zipper pockets are three-hole punched to store in a binder. However, these are usually smaller than standard size sheets and are designed to hold smaller things. Usually you can store pencils and pens, a few paper clips, and other smaller office supplies. This helps your student to keep all the necessary school items in one place.

• Hole Reinforcements. With extended use, the punched holes of handouts become torn, causing the page to fall out. Before these get lost, you can reinforce the holes with these stickers. They look like a simple circle but will help loose sheets to stay in place and not tear out of a notebook.

• Spine Inserts. If you have a student juggling multiple notebooks, these can be a lifesaver. Spine inserts slide into or stick to the edge of your three ring notebook. They can be printed or decorated and help you immediately see which notebook it is without having to pull them all out and open it up to look. Teenagers switching books between classes will find it especially helpful to open their locker and see with a glance which binder they need.

• Sheet Protectors. These are excellent for preserving papers that will be used all year round, such as syllabi. Page protectors are available in three different thicknesses depending on your needs and also come with or without divider tabs. Sheet protectors have so many uses that even if you have to get a pack of 100 and your child only needs five, you won't have any trouble finding something to do with the rest of them. If nothing else, you can always hold onto them for next year.

These are just a few suggestions for supplements for a three ring binder. Going into any school supply store will present you with many more. The key is to find the items that will work best in your situation. Good luck and happy shopping!

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