GETTING AND STAYING ORGANIZED: WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD

As the child grows,  things begin to appear somewhat complicated.  With the child approaching school-age, getting organized for school becomes every parent’s concern. While most parents make attempt to achieve this using strict rules and stern hands,  below are several other ways to help children become organized.

Fun activities

For children between the ages 2-5, learning needs to involve playful activities such as creating a song for folding clothes, shooting hoops with their clothes into the laundry basket or tell a story. They need to be taught on picking up their clothes lying around to putting them through basic forms of cloth washing-such as their socks, pants,etc. All that needs to begin from a tender age.

Most children tend to grow faster than their peers especially those growing with adults around. From ages 6-12, constantly reminding them to;

Arrange their beds immediately after getting up.

A laundry bag should be available, where they can throw their dirty clothes.

Arrange every clean clothes in their racks. This will help them see and get whatever they need faster.

When they are back from school, school bags should be hung appropriately, uniforms should be well-kept or put in the laundry bag if dirty, and shoes should be dusted and well placed in the shoe rack.

For a child that loves to read, a shelf should be provided for them to properly arrange in rows their books with the titles facing outside to ensure easy access.

According to an article written by The Center for Parenting Education on the Benefits of Chores, “Children tend to excel at procrastination, excuses, resistance, and refusal when it comes to chores. This causes much concern among parents and conflict between children and their parents. Research indicates that those children who do have a set of chores have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, and are better able to deal with frustration and delay gratification, all of which contribute to greater success in school.”
Furthermore, research by Marty Rossman* shows that involving children in household tasks at an early age can have a positive impact later in life. In fact, says Rossman, “the best predictor of young adults’ success in their mid-20’s was that they participated in household tasks when they were three or four.”

Being organized is really exciting and makes one happy. Coming back to a room that is organized brings with it a certain ambiance of calmness and coziness. Bringing up a child in that way will make them feel more relaxed after a stressful school day and in the long run, learn to value an organized clean space.

Hope these tips have been helpful? You can share other ideas on how you have been able to make your child organized.