5 Tips To Raise Organized Kids




By: Crystal Manning

Some people think we are too hard on our children. Our children think we are too hard on them too. It’s not that, it’s just that we want them to be prepared for life and we know the less they have to learn to do when they leave the house the more they can focus on what counts, their life goals.

Raising any number of children can be difficult and my significant other and I know more than most how real this sentiment is. We are currently raising 4 children Their ages range from 4 to 14 years old. While each child has their own unique talent and personality one thing is the same across the board, they all know their responsibilities and goals and they all know how to execute them. We strongly believe you are never too young to learn organization.

Scholastics shares our same belief “Instilling a sense of order in your young child may sound like a difficult task. However, by infusing daily routines with fun — from making homework time cozier to celebrating special days in a fun planner — your child can learn how to keep things naturally organized with ease.”

Here are five tips from Scholastics on how to accomplish this.

  1. Introduce checklists. Whether it's as simple as "3 Things To Do Before Bed" or "What To Take On Vacation," creating and referring to lists together will develop your child's ability to strategize tasks and organize time.
  2. Assign chores that involve sorting or categorizing. Grocery shopping, emptying the dishwasher, sorting photos, cleaning out a closet, and other chores that involve pre-planning, making lists, or arranging things are great choices. A workbook like Little Skill Seekers: Sorting & Matching is a great way to supplement these organizational skills. 
  3. Buy your child a planner. Look for one your child can personalize, like the Klutz: Best. Year. Ever! planner. Having their own planner will show them that you consider their time valuable, and that organization is something worth celebrating. 
  4. Establish a homework routine. Help your child make a "study hour" schedule and set up a comfortable workspace — whether it's in their room or at the kitchen table. Encourage your child to stick to the schedule even when they don't have homework (they can still read, review notes, or even dive into a fun activity book.)
  5. Cultivate an interest in collecting. If your child has a particular interest, encourage them to create and organize the collection. It can even be something free — such as rocks or canceled stamps — that kids can sort, classify, and arrange. For great ways to start, check out this Rock Stars Kit (which comes with collectible rocks!) or this Dinosaur Bites Kit (which comes with collectible fossils!). 

The younger you introduce these tips the less of a hassle you will have. We know this firsthand by unintentionally experimenting on our range of children. While our oldest son is one of the most well rounded 14 year old’s I know (being able to do laundry, iron, clean and cook actual homecooked meals like alfredo, fish & seafood dishes and recently picked up the skill of barbequing) we know it is more of a hassle for him since we introduced organization at a much later age. Our 4-year-old, however, is much less resistant to the idea of organization and picks up after himself and is proud to help out around the house and complete his chores or making sure lights are off in empty rooms and picking up his clothes after his shower.

Always remember to incorporate fun and never forget to acknowledge, this will motivate children to continue on their own personal journeys to Create Centered Chaos.

Do you have any kid-friendly organizational tips to share? Please leave a comment below, we would love to hear from you.

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