How To Get Kids To Organize
Back when I was teaching, I feel like half my class could keep their desks and cubbies organized. And the other half couldn’t. So I had to teach them some…
You’re not an organized person, you know your kids need to be, and you want to help them get organized.
And for your sanity–because you’re home for who knows how long–you need to keep some sort of order.
These are super basic, super easy things you can implement right now. You will see such a big difference.
How to Help Your Kids Get Organized When You’re Not Organized
Make a checklist or to-do list every day.
Start with this because it will help you and your kids find your focus for the day. We each come up with 3 things for the day.
For example, today we have to take the dog for a walk, the kids want to finish their lego sets, and we’re going to bake zucchini muffins. See? We have a game plan.
Checklists help kids get their minds in gear to create sequences. Sequences are the base for the organization.
Create a loose schedule.
Along with your checklist, create loose schedules.
They don’t have to minute by minute, but you know what you need to do and you loosely know when you need to do it.
You know you have to wake up, eat, make your bed… I know that those of you who don’t like to organize like going with the flow.
I get it, but a guide will help so much. Again, it can (and should) be loose.
Create zones in your home to help your kids get organized even when you’re not.
This is simple: assign different rooms or areas of your house different purposes.
Your kitchen items should go in the kitchen. Paper products go in the office. Keep specific toys in specific areas.
For example, the play kitchen with the play food goes in the real kitchen. Craft supplies go in the playroom. Balls go in the garage. By creating zones, you’re streamlining and making clean up so much easier.
Make a “First, then” board.
“First, we’re going to get dressed, then we’re going to eat.” “First, you’re going to do your math, then you get to play on the iPad.”
These are basic sequences that help kids create order in their brains. They know what’s coming next, but they’re not overwhelmed with the whole big picture.
“First, then, last” works great for elementary school kids that can go a little deeper in the sequence.
This has been really helpful since we’ve been homeschooling. We’re living in a completely different structure and setting up little schedules helps everyone.
Set reminders on your phone when you want the activity to be done.
I spend a little bit of time every night or first thing every morning to set up some reminders on my phone.
For example, check the laundry, start kids’ math time, or meeting with the teacher. Every time I set a reminder, my phone dings, and I’m prompted to remember what’s happening next in our day.
What if I told you I could get your kids to organize your bedroom, put away their papers, and fold up their clothes without fighting?
I promise I’m not a magician, I’ve just been doing this for so many years.
Well, I pulled together all my strategies and set it up so that MY kids will teach YOUR kids how to do this. We’ve had hundreds of students complete the course, and they said what they learned has made the last week so much less stressful.
