Listen to Reading Tip: Headphone Cord Management

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In our Listen to Reading Daily 5 Center, we have several iPods that I received through a grant. They are super-helpful and loads of fun, but OHMAGOODNESS, the headphones were the bane of my existence!

I don't have a "before" picture, but I can easily say that hours were spent over the course of several weeks trying to constantly untangle the seemingly endless cord that come on these headphones.

I do really like these headphones, I promise. For one, they are inexpensive, so I don't feel bad if my kids accidentally break them (accidents happen). They also are pretty clean, especially compared to the ear buds- the idea of my 27 kids sharing things that go inside the ear just didn't seem ok. They are soft and adjustable, so really, they fit the bill well.


Ok, back to my rant... no joke, these headphone cords are so long, which may be fine for me, an adult who is way way taller than a 3rd grader. But for my thirdsters, these were a mess. They were always in a knot, no matter how neatly they stored them. They would always get twisted and end up in a huge black gob. Then, they would bring them to me and I would use my planning time trying to undo them.

Well, that had to change ASAP!!

A genius parent helper and I put our heads together one afternoon (as I was getting ready to throw them all in the trash) and came up with idea of zipties.... aha!


This has been a lifesaver! To do this, simply wind the cord around your palm nice and neatly, from the plug all the way to where the cords split to go to each ear- if they are like mine, that still leaves plenty of room for the kids. Then, zip the cords down in three places as tight as you possibly can! Then, pull tighter :) Trim the excess ziptie and enjoy!

 Now, I can easily store each pair of headphones in their own ziploc baggie and never, ever, ever have to deal with huge cord knots again!


Aaaaah, I am in Teacher Heaven!
Do you have other creative ideas for storing headphones in your class? Share below- I'd love to hear about them!

14 comments

  1. Genius! I store mine in individual ziploc bags too. I also have several splitters so that more than one student can listen to the story at the same time. We use small notebook laptops in my room.
    Tania
    Mrs Poultney's Ponderings

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    1. I am LOVING my splitters, although they were so cheap, they are starting to break (maybe I should increase my budget to more than $2 a piece) ;)

      I am jealous of the notebooks you guys have- we have classroom desktops that take up so much room :(

      Thanks for stopping by!

      ~Stephanie

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  2. I like this. Seems every other way I've tried has ended up with the same result--completely tangled cords! I should show you a picture of what a few look like right now...those babies are stuck together forever!! Thanks Stephanie!

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    1. What I wan to know is how do they even get to be in those huge knots? Gremlins, I think! I was so convinced it was the kids, but even when I tried putting them away, they would instantly knot- awful things ;) Now they are ziptied and can never escape- mwah ha ha!

      ~Stephanie

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  3. So clever! What a great idea :) Nothing I've ever done has worked to my liking...but this might be perfect! Thanks!!

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    1. Ooo, I am so glad this can help- let me know how it goes :) :)

      ~Stephanie

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  4. Ah this is perfect! I just had a fight with my headphones this morning. Last year, I had a little girl who used her wheelchair and she definitely got the headphones stuck in the wheels. In the end, I had to use scissors and say goodbye to a pair of headphones! This will make them much safer in my classroom!

    Sara :)
    Smiling In Second Grade

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    1. Oh no- what a mess!! They are unruly enough on their own, I cannot even imagine how frustrating that must have been with a wheelchair thrown into the mix :( Hope this can help and let me know how it turns out :)

      ~Stephanie

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  5. PERFECT!!! Thanks fro the ideas!!!

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  6. Great idea! I have mine in plastic totes (the ones from Target's dollar spot)....it works, but the totes can take up quite a bit of space...

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  7. This is on the list of things to do Monday morning!! Thanks!!

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  8. I store my headphones on the paper sorting racks. I also store the individual CD players there as well, but I love shortening the cords to make it look neater.

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  9. We use toilet paper rolls and cut a slit in one end so that the cord does not tangle. The kids wind it around and then stick the end into the slit so it stays. Then they put them in a plastic baggie.

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