1. One step at a time
Set your child a challenge to not lose one item (eg her jacket) for an entire week. The following week, add a second item to the challenge. Your child’s confidence will grow as they achieve each small goal.
2. Checklists
Make a checklist of items that need to be brought home from school each day and pop it in their backpack.
3. Everything in its place
Choose a school backpack that has several compartments and assign a specific purpose for each of them.
4. Spell it out
Come up with a fun mnemonic that can be used as a checklist. We use Jump up High and Bend Down Low which stands for Jacket, Hat, Books, Drink bottle and Lunchbag. It’s silly, but it works for us.
5. Label everything
Labels should include your child’s name, class and/or phone number. This way, if despite your best efforts, something does get lost, it will make its way back to you.
If your child hasn’t reached the stage yet where lunch-boxes, hats, jumpers and other random items of clothing and equipment mysteriously disappear, then your kids are either too small or you’re very, very lucky indeed.