Getting our kids organized is just as important as getting ourselves organized. Our kids, at least mine, can become super disorganized and messy. He often comes home from school with a bent agenda, rocks in his pockets, scrunched up paper in the bottom of his bag and sometimes his lunch is falling outside of the actual lunch bag. When kids get home from school, they typically want to grab a snack and watch tv. My son sometimes is unsure if he even has homework to do, even if it is written in his agenda. Our kids’ lives can be as hectic as ours, and organization can be simple and straightforward to teach at a young age. When your kids are organized, it will reduce a lot of work and stress for you, trust me!
Here are five simple ways you can implement organizational skills into your child’s life at home.
Visual Schedules: I have mentioned visual schedules before as a tool that helps with strong-willed children. If you haven’t already, check out a previous blog “3 Tools for Rising A Strong-Willed Child”. Visual schedules have positively impacted my home. Not only does it reinforce positive behaviour but also keeps kids organized. It gets them accustomed to routines. Visual schedules are like a to-do list for kids. It lets them know what needs to be done throughout the day and in what order. They never have to guess what is next. Schedules for kids should be flexible and easily modified to accommodate changes.
Morning and Night Routines: Morning and night routines are perfect for creating steps that require kids to take ownership and build independence. When children are responsible for something related to themselves, they become more confident, reducing the typical power struggles we sometimes experience. Routines create stability, encourage self-control and reenforce positive social skills and behaviour. Routines have defiantly reduced the chaos at home.
Break Up Task: I specifically break up tasks for my son when it comes to his homework. Most of our kids don’t enjoy doing homework. My son usually gets an assignment from Monday that is due near the end of the week. I break it up, so he completes a small portion leading up to when it is due.
Backpack Audits: As I said, my son comes home with rocks and scrunched up papers in his bag. One day he even came home with someone else’s shoes. I get my son to clean out his backpack every day after school. We make sure that it is cleaned out and ready for the next day. Lunch is empty, and anything that doesn’t belong is removed.
Designated Workspace: Having a designated area in your home where your kids do their schoolwork is great. My son usually completes his schoolwork at the kitchen table. Sometimes he uses the desk in his room, however, downstairs is his favourite area to work.