Helping your kids to develop good organisational skills should be one of your main responsibilities as a parent. Although it naturally seems like some people are more organised than others, it is often the case that these good habits are taught from a young age. Even very young kids can be taught some basic organisational skills like being able to put away their toys etc. So, in this blog post, we are going to be providing you with a few techniques that will help to give your kids get themselves organised.
Provide Them with Checklists
Checklists can act as an invaluable tool which allow you to get your kids organised in a range of different areas such as household chores and homework assignments. Not only will they be able to provide a sense or order to their school and home lives, you will be able to double check that everything is getting done that is supposed to. Crossing completed items off a list gives a great sense of accomplishment, and if you wanted to give them extra encouragement, you could provide them with a reward for completing several of the tasks that they needed to.
Designate a Study Space
Giving your kids a study space helps to provide them with a distinction between when it is time to work and when it is time to play. Ideally, you should be trying to find a quiet space with few distractions. This could end up just being a corner of their bedroom with a desk and chair. Make sure that they have all the equipment that they need and distractions are minimised as much as possible. To start off with, you may need to provide with extensive supervision, which you can relax as they hopefully start to organise themselves.
Prepare for the Day Ahead
Without a doubt, one of the most stressful times as a parent is the morning hours when you are rushing around trying to get your kids organised, while also trying to prepare yourself for the working day ahead. Preparing the night before is a great way to help alleviate some of these stresses and worries. All schoolwork and books should be packed into their book bag ready for the school day ahead. You could also encourage them to pick out their outfit for the day ahead – see this page for some different kids clothing options. This is also a habit which is a useful one for you to get into as well.
Develop a Sense of Routine
Kids tend to thrive when they have a clear sense of routine and structure in their lives. Simply by doing the same thing on a weekly basis is a good way to help them get organised. Setting a designated study time when they have to revise and do homework will help to reinforce that this is going to be the same on a nightly basis. Even if there is no big assignment due, this could be a time when your kids are doing their own independent reading and study. Since modern kids are so heavily reliant on technology, it can provide a major helping hand to simply give them a time when they can disconnect on a nightly basis.
Teach Them About Digital and Traditional Storage Systems
There is so much data stored online and digitally these days that you need to teach your kids how to maintain and look after it. The simple act of putting files into clearly marked folders can go a long way towards helping them to get organised. You should also make sure that your kids have plenty of binders and folders in which they can keep and organise their paper notes. And it is also a good idea to teach your kids the value of keeping their room tidy, and everything in its right place.
Keep a Master Calendar
So far, we have only talked about helping your kids to get organised on a day to day basis, but you should also be encouraging them to think in the long-term as well. One way of doing this is by keeping a master calendar on which you put important dates which are coming up in the future. If you keep one for the whole family, there is a sense of community and a sharing of responsibilities in this way. This way, you can also avoid any scheduling conflicts as well.
Set a Good Example
One of the best ways of helping your kids to learn is by example, so you need to be practicing what you preach and leading an organised life yourself in order for your kids to follow suit. Kids tend to react badly when they think that it is one set of rules for them and an entirely different set for yourself. You can hardly start to lecture your kids about the merits of good organisation if you aren’t demonstrating the value yourself.
Provide Them with Household Chores
Kids who are encouraged to complete household chores are a young age are more likely to carry these habits with them for the rest of their lives. This also helps to teach them about being part of a household unit in which everyone contributes towards making sure that everything runs smoothly. As we mentioned earlier, it often helps to create a reward system so that kids develop a definite sense of value in the household chores that they are completing.
Helping your kids to get organised requires a sustained effort, and these are just a few of the ways that you can achieve your aim. As already mentioned, the good habits that they learn at a young age are much more likely to stick with them. Of course, it is always going to be the case that some kids require more of a nudge in the right direction than others, but you should always make sure that you are leading by example.