Help Your Child Learn to Organize and Prioritize with a Chore Chart
It can be very frustrating to ask your child over and over again to complete their chores without them ever getting done. Sometimes it’s the result of a child not knowing how to organize and prioritize their time. Help your child develop these important skills by implementing a chore chart.
Chores might include taking out the garbage, doing the dishes, cleaning their room, yard work or putting laundry in the laundry room. After your child completes each chore, they can put a check mark on the chore chart. At the end of each week, it’s very inspiring for both parent and child to look at the chore chart and easily see that each designated job was completed.
Just like our to do lists, your child will find great satisfaction in being able to check off each chore as it’s completed and take pride knowing they accomplished a set task or list of tasks. Once the child is more adept at completing each task and learns to recognize which ones should be completed first, additional ones can be added to the list.
Once you’ve sat down with your child and discussed and designed a chore chart, it’s time to discuss the rewards for accomplishing each task listed. Perhaps at your home you decide you will give a set sum for each task accomplished. If you should decide to grant your child some sort of monetary allowance, make sure it’s age appropriate and granted on a regular basis.
A good rule of thumb is 50 cents per year of age. However, be firm about the allowance being an all or nothing reward. No allowance is given if the items on the list are only partially completed or if they haven’t been completed in a quality fashion. Teach your child early to strive to do it right the first time, and learn to save time in the process.
By helping your child to develop a sense of organization early on, you’ll equip them with an important skill that will help them succeed later in life.
Does your household include young children with piles of toys or teenagers who always seem to be complaining about having no room for their clothes? Save yourself a lot of aggravation, as well as time and money, by arranging rooms and furniture in ways that create a family-friendly organized living space.
The first step is finding room for the stuff. Kids come with a lot of gear, from the time they’re babies until they’re out the door and into their own place. In the meantime, you have to find ways to accommodate everything from strollers and building blocks to hockey sticks and Barbie collections. When there’s a place for everything, there’s a better chance that the stuff will get put away. Don’t waste closet space. Add a shelving unit and storage bins, and put up hooks on the back of the closet door wherever possible. The small dresser that served your young child can be put into the closet at a later age.
Children’s beds often come with storage compartments underneath, and nightstands can have either drawers or shelves. When children share a room, bunk beds and sleeping lofts are obvious choices for saving space. Teenagers, especially those 6-footers, may very well need a full size bed rather than the standard twin. Again, think storage space underneath or headboards that incorporate storage space.
Even if your school-age child has a computer desk, he or she may still not have enough room for spreading out books and binders at homework time. Consider a large desk if there’s room, or maintain an open policy about using the kitchen or dining room table for homework. But remember that a young child’s feet should touch the floor to prevent restlessness, so if the dining room chair is too tall, use a box or stool under their feet.
Toys and sports equipment can be kept under control by using storage chests, large plastic cubes, or shelving units with bins. Hall trees often come with a storage bench, and are a great solution for coats and boots and skates.
Save yourself a lot of trouble by painting children’s rooms rather than using wallpaper. Children quickly grow out of cute prints, and new paint is a simple solution for changing tastes.
Keep living room and family room furniture looking good by choosing fabrics with a high thread count and tight weave that clean easily and hold up to hard use. Flat weaves are better than textured fabrics for durability. The new microfibers are a good choice for surviving kids and pets, and nothing is easier than slipcovers that can be removed and washed. By the way, sectional sofas are very versatile, able to adapt to any room and comfortable for everyone in the family. Add a set of nesting tables that can be handily moved from room to room for games and projects.
Don’t trip over the stuff of family life. There’s a way to make everyone happy . . . especially Mom.
Help your Child be an Organized and Successful Student
Sometimes it seems like the last thing on our children’s minds is their homework and their studies. Unfortunately, this can reflect in their grades and overall performance in school. Your child might have expressed frustration or confusion about how to go about staying organized and on top of homework, project deadlines, and studying for exams. But you can provide your student with the organizational skills needed to be a successful student.
Work with your child to get them in the habit of composing to do lists. Use checklists to keep track of assignments, household chores, and reminders about what materials to bring to class. Your child should keep a small pad or notebook dedicated to listing these homework and chore assignments. Have them cross off each item as it is accomplished. Looking at a completed to do list will instill a strong sense of accomplishment. These to do lists should prioritize homework and chore assignments as well.
A stable routine at home is imperative to your child’s success at school. Your child should study in the same place every night. Make sure it’s a quiet location with few distractions. All school supplies and materials should be nearby. Try to adhere to a regular routine at home with scheduled bedtimes and limited television viewing. Children with a regular bedtime go to school well-rested and better equipped to perform. Before your child goes to bed, he should pack schoolwork and books in a book bag. The next day’s clothes should be laid out with shoes, socks, and accessories. This will cut down on morning confusion and allow your child to prepare quickly for the day ahead. Encourage your child to sort through book bags and notebooks on a weekly basis so they don’t fall victim to the paper clutter monster.
If you have a child, you know how easily their bedrooms can get out of control. Toys strewn about, clothes out of drawers, books on the floor; it can almost be a hazard sometimes just to enter. But getting your child’s room organized can be rewarding and fun, especially if your child is actively involved in the process.
Never attempt it without their permission, input and most importantly their active participation. Don’t surprise your child and go ahead and organize their room for them. Just as you expect your privacy and possessions to be respected, so should theirs.
Teach your child as soon as possible the importance of keeping their room tidy and orderly, so they’ll have a strong appreciation for neatness and order as they grow. With a little patience and cooperation, even the youngest can be taught this habit early on, simply by learning how to put toys and other belongings like books and art supplies away after use.
When organizing your child’s room, make sure it’s fun and creative, so they are interested in maintaining it. And as we all know, children grow and change rapidly, so their rooms should have the room to grow with them. Make sure your organizational method has room to grow and change as well. And above all, make sure you get their ideas about what they think will work the best for them. Make sure that all their favorites are well within reach and easy to put away.
Place things that they use on an infrequent basis on the top shelves in their closet, and devise a workable system for hanging and organizing clothes and grouping favorite outfits together. When it comes time to put laundry away, ask if they need your help, but try to give them the space when possible to do it themselves, and it will grow into a good habit as they grow older. Hanging storage closet systems are ideal for kids. They are bright and colorful and are able to contain closet items in a way that enhances visibility for a child. Designed with roomy pockets they hold an array of shoes, toys, and clothes, and hang over any standard closet rod. Their front openings make it simple and quick for any child to use.
Also consider a desk with drawers or other filing system for your child’s school work, art work, awards, report cards, and other papers. There are many brightly-colored and durable storage bins, desks and organizers available for your child’s room, so take them shopping with you so you can both select the best option.
And most importantly, keep your room neat and organized, and maintain it on a daily basis. Don’t expect your child to maintain a nice, tidy room if you’re not doing the same. The best teacher is your example.
