Dear Nancy,
What suggestions do you have for teaching young kids to be organized?
Signed, Becky
Nancy Nemitz
I recommend a product called Time Timer, which helps children (and adults) see the passage of time more clearly. It helps set limits on game time or television time. It also can be used as a stopwatch. There are endless possibilities. You’ll find Time Timer online.
One of the most important organizing lessons for children to learn is the fact not everything they have has the same value. If they are allowed to keep everything, they aren’t learning to make choices. Sometimes choices aren’t easy to make. Maybe they love every stuffed animal they have, but it’s not possible to keep 50 stuffed animals tidy, clean and accessible.
It’s hard for children to see the value of being organized, since they aren’t the ones responsible for keeping things orderly. So, it comes down to following household rules. If your rule is they are not to throw their towels on the bathroom floor, make sure they can reach the towel rod or hook. Then, if they don’t follow the rule, there are consequences, such as earlier bedtime or a lost privilege. If there are no consequences, they will drop their towels on the floor because it’s easier.
The more toys and clothes your children have, the harder it is to keep organized. So, logically, your life will be less stressful if you don’t have more toys and clothes than the family can keep neat and orderly.
Nancy Nemitz helps people get organized and save time. Her company is Create the Space Professional Organizing LLC. Email your questions to nancy@createthespace.com. If she selects your question for a future issue of Up Close, you will receive a 25 percent discount on one of her downloadable teleclasses. To book an organizing appointment, call (480) 223-8939.