Teaching Children How to Get Organized

Getting organized—seems easy enough, right? You sort through your clutter, put everything in its place, and you’re done. Getting your kids organized—that’s a whole other ballgame! Kids have a tendency to be disorganized. It’s not that they want to be messy; it’s simply because their little minds are so busy learning and absorbing the world around them, they just don’t think about mundane things like cleaning their room. Fortunately, all is not lost. With the right tools, such as name labels for sorting items, and a consistent approach, you can raise neat, organized people. Here are 6 tips to help you teach your children how to be organized.

1.  The right equipment — The first step to teaching organization is to give your children the right tools. Containers of various sizes, drawer dividers, bins, baskets, and other similar items give your children a place to put their belongings. Labeling each container can help remind them, at a glance, of which item belongs inside.
2. Checklists — Giving your children a checklist for various tasks will help them to stay on task. These lists don’t have to be complicated. For example, a list of things to do in the morning—brush teeth, make bed, and brush hair—can help a child learn some basic morning habits to make early routines go much smoother.
3. Schoolwork — Keeping school-related items organized with folders and binders at home is a great way to teach your child organization skills that he can take with him to school. Make sure you set up routines, such as doing homework right after school and reading before bed. Incorporate a specific place to store supplies, so your child will always know where they are—and always know where to return them.
4. Chores — Chores are a great way to teach organizing skills. For example, letting your child load the dishwasher will teach him how to sort the dishes out into the appropriate places. The same is true for helping you put away groceries or sorting laundry.
5. Routines — Routines are one of the keys to staying organized. Yes, it takes time for something to become a routine. However, once certain activities are routine, your child will take those routines with him all the way through adulthood. So, make as many routines as you need, such as laying out necessary clothes the night before to save time.
6. Collections — Find something your child enjoys, something he is passionate about, such as Legos or a particular series of action figures, and help him to start a collection. Teach him about sorting his collection, such as blue Legos in one container, red ones in another. Utilize labels to help in the collecting and sorting. This can help teach your child a love of organizing as he sees his collection grow.

Now that you know some key tips to teaching organization skills to your kids, all you need are labels to get you started. Contact us today at It’s Mine! to learn more about our great selection of quality labels.