Let’s Get Organized

We look on ourselves, whether we are parents or grandparents, as our child’s first teacher. We teach them to say “please” and “thank you” and to tie their shoes, tell time and ride their bike, but how many of us teach our child to be organized? For me, organization is one of the great comforts of life and don’t we all want the children in our lives to feel that comfort?

Here are some suggestions that might help you and your child get on the road to organization:

1. We can all take a lesson from Mary Poppins and make the job of picking up into a game, seeing who can pick up the most red blocks, etc.

2. Have open storage. Having a closed lid toy box gets the toys out of the way, but it does not make for a quick clean up. Being able to just toss stuff animals into an open bin is far easier and more fun than having to open the lid.

3. You can also label these bids for an even more organized storage system. For children who cannot read yet, put photos of the items for that bin on the front. Such as a picture of one of the child’s Barbies for the bin for the fashion dolls.

4. If you will be helping, put on some old rock ‘n roll and you and the kids can dance while you tidy up.

5. You can set rules that they have to put away any toy they are playing with before they go on to the next toy.

6. There are also lots of negative ways that you can approach this, such as taking away any toy left out overnight, but the point of teaching children to be organized is to have it be a lifetime skill that can grow as they do, so having a negative connotation to the process might defeat the purpose.

7. Once children go to school, organization becomes the road to success. Have a place where all book bags and homework go after school and after homework. Have a place for permission slips and make sure to look in it every day. Teaching children the theory of “a place for everything and everything in its place” makes mornings so much calmer.

8. Develop a daily schedule (with input from the child). Children a get a real sense of comfort from consistency.

9. At the appropriate age, teach the child about the benefits of a to-do list. Children work well with a to-do list since it gives them the confidence of knowing they won’t forget anything that needs to be done and they can run out to play knowing all their chores and homework are done and Mom and Dad will appreciate their responsibility.

10. Before bedtime, you can review the next day with the child. Include planning what to wear (check weather) and what is on the calendar for the next day.



Here is a list from http://wolves.dsc.k12.ar.us/parentcenter/resources/organization.pdf to see if your school age child could benefit from some organization:

SIGNS OF POOR ORGANIZATION

Below is a list of situations that may be a sign that your child is having problems with organization and planning.

· Fails to bring home homework assignments

· Does not know the exact homework assignment

· Fails to return completed homework

· Does not know when the teacher gives homework (e.g., days of the week)

· Does not know how the teacher typically informs them of the homework assignments

· Does not know to bring home books or needed materials

· Does not know when assignments are due

· Does not have papers and study guides to study for test

· Does not know when tests are

· Does not have a regular study space

· Does not have needed supplies for homework

· Waits until the last minute to start homework/studying

· Runs out of time when studying for tests



Looking at this list, there are many things we could do to help this child. The first might be to contact the teacher and inform his/her of the problems and see if you can be informed of the homework each week, perhaps through emails. Provide a comfortable and well stocked area where the child can study with all the materials he/she might need. This area does not have to be away from all disruptions. Children often feel isolated when they are forced to do their homework all alone in their rooms. Help the child prepare a homework schedule. Help the child create a homework schedule. It could be that the amount of work overwhelms the child and he/she doesn’t know how to break it down into steps.