One of the keys to success is organization. It may not be a high priority if you are a parent who has not completely mastered these skills yourself, but teaching your children organization skills will serve them well for the rest of their lives. People, who know how to organize their time, work, and home lives, are more productive, are less stressed and are able to advance more easily throughout their lives. If you want to give your children a gift that will change their future and increase their odds for success in whatever they choose to do, teach them how to organize their time and their environment.
Organization at Home
Kids Storage Cubby
The first awareness of organization children have is of a time schedule at home. They come to learn that wake up time, meal times, and bed time, happen consistently and that there is order to their world. When your children are old enough to understand spatial concepts, probably about 2 years old, you can begin to teach them that there is a time for each activity and a place for all of their things. Not only will you be teaching them how to manage these things for themselves later in life, you will be giving them a sense of security. Children who have routines and order in their lives are more stable and sure of themselves as adults.
Make a Schedule
A schedule will include daily routines, such as a morning routine of waking, bathing, dressing, eating, etc., an afternoon routine and an evening routine. Approach your entire family with the proposal that you are all going to do an activity that will be a help to everyone. Make it fun!
Decide what is expected of each child, such as making their beds in the morning, putting their school bags in a certain location, and putting their toys and clothes away. Your children may not need to have every aspect of their lives organized, so figure out together what activities or times cause the most stress and make sure that routines are established for those. Are mornings chaotic? Prepare as much as possible the night before. Is soccer practice driving everyone crazy? Make a plan for when the gym bag gets packed.Write down all of the things that each person needs to get done for each day. Separate them into personal routines, chores, schoolwork, etc. Create a chore chart. Include the entire family's household chores and routines. Make it fun by adding a place for a star or check each day when things are done properly.Give everyone some down time each day to do what they choose on their own. Take some down time for yourself too.Post your chart where it will be visible to everyone. This will help motivate your children to work towards getting their next check or star. Spend a few moments at the end of the day going over the chart, planning the next day, and congratulating them on how well they are doing. Devise a reward system. Rewards should be given for a block of activities well done, not for each individual item. Work on a daily or weekly basis. Try to stay away from treats as a reward. Special time with a parent, a game together, a choice of the family activity, or a friend over for dinner or to spend the night works well.Post a family calendar by your schedule. Here, you will write all of the activities, appointments and school-related commitments that each family member has each week. Color-code it to make it easier to read. This will help you to see how your schedule fits with your outside commitments and where you might need to make adjustments.Be a good example. Once you make plans, be sure that you all follow them. While there will be times when flexibility is needed, following the routine will help your child understand how a schedule keeps life running smoothly.
Clean House
Organization at home will help everyone's life run more smoothly. Knowing where your keys are when it's time to leave the house, or where to find the book your child needs for a report is critical to reducing chaos. An ordered home creates a relaxed and productive atmosphere, where it will be more enjoyable for each family member to work and unwind.
Go through your children's clothes and help them decide what to keep and what to give away. Make a list of items they might need. Provide your child a place to put dirty clothes and explain your system for laundry.Sort through all of their toys and games and take inventory of what they have, items they need, and what can be given away. Set up a storage area for them that they can easily keep neat and organized.Go through all of their desk and school items and take inventory of what they have. Make a list of what items they need for upcoming homework, projects, and personal interests.Decide what school papers and/or art work will be kept and where. These are keepsakes. Set up a box or file where each child can place these papers. Also designate a place for your children to place paper work that the teacher has sent home for you to read or review. Design a place for temporary holding of your child's items; a shelf or cubby works well. This is where your child may gather their items before carrying them to their room. Papers, extra shoes, a jacket, toys, etc. are placed here as they are collected during the day and is to be emptied before they go to bed. This keeps you and your children from running back and forth from room to room each time something small needs picked up. It also reduces household stress and makes the task of keeping the house neat much simpler.
Organization at School
Your children's achievement in school has a direct correlation to how well they will do in the rest of life. Teaching them how to manage their time, set goals and stay on an organized path, are the greatest tools they will have to assure their future scholastic success.
Allow your children enough time in the morning to do what is necessary without rushing. Set their bedtimes early enough that they can wake up in the morning without difficulty and can get themselves ready for school. As part of their evening routine, have your children get their clothes ready for the next day. Set out everything; underclothes, socks and shoes included. This way, they do not have to decide or search for an item in the morning when time is more critical. Help your children organize their notebooks. Be sure that they have all necessary supplies available in a place that is easy to access. Create and label separate folders, pockets, or sections in a binder for school announcements, tests that have been graded, and papers that they need to bring home.Teach your children to write down their homework for each day along with test dates and project due dates. Allow them to put important dates on the family calendar so they are not forgotten.Plan a study schedule with them on days when they have a lot of homework and when studying for tests. Teach them to outline the steps of their projects. Learning to break large tasks into small, easily accomplished steps will give them the primary tool they will need to achieve any goal.Designate a quiet, well-lit area for studying. Don't allow your children to study in front of the television, or in an area of your home where they're bound to be distracted. A table or desk with an upright chair is best. A bed or comfy chair can cause them to become lax and sleepy.Teach your children to delay gratification. By doing the most difficult tasks of their homework first, the rest will be more enjoyable.If your child doesn't understand a lesson, have him immediately ask for help. Don't let it get to the point that he is totally confused and frustrated. If you are unable to help him, find someone who can; a sibling, friend or teacher. Staying up late, struggling fruitless over a task, will only make the next morning more difficult, and usually accomplishes nothing.Don't let your child get overloaded. Activity and exercise is important for health and even for your children to be able to study well, but taking on too many afterschool activities will add unnecessary stress. First, determine how much study time your children need. Then let them choose one activity that they will enjoy and that fits into your schedule. Schedule all school activities on your family calendar. This way, you can see how everyone's activities will fit together and you'll be less likely to have scheduling mishaps. Use of colored pens or pencils to code different activities or family members will help to clarify your calendar. Help your children learn how to make a daily plan for themselves. Give them a planner that is age appropriate and easy to manage
Organization is not just about time management skills, it's about balance. Children who can't balance their schedules become unorganized adults who have trouble fitting into most learning, work and social situations.
You may have to help your children stay on track at times, but by teaching them how to organize their time and their lives and the importance of keeping their intended commitments, you are teaching them personal responsibility. They will learn how to set and achieve goals, and the steps to grow to their full potential. Expect to have moments when you will wonder if the effort is worth it, but by being diligent, you will be giving them the greatest gift there is. You will be giving them the tools for an easier, more productive life. And you will be giving them self-respect.