A major problem most families have is getting organized, staying organized, and being happy about it! So many moms really want to have an organized home, but the kids and the husband and the animals…well, they all just make a HUGE mess! They won’t stay organized. It’s important that we teach our kids to be organized and follow through so that Mom isn’t the one constantly cleaning up all the messes.
- Make it a habit: It might be best if the whole family spends 10-15 minutes each evening just cleaning up together. If you have young kids, make a game of it. If your kids are older, give them a fun reward like an extra ten minutes to stay up later when they do it without complaining or without being told! Get in the habit of cleaning up and organizing together.
- Work together: When the whole family pitches in and works together, it gets done faster. Mom and Dad have to set the example. Every morning or evening, take the time to put things away after you use them.
- One for each: Make sure that every room has a trash can and every bedroom has a laundry basket. This seems simple, but keeping those in each room helps keep trash and clothes at bay. Teach kids to throw away any trash right away. Teach them to take off their dirty clothes and place in the laundry basket or hamper right away. It’s simple and easy!
- A place for everything: It’s important that everything has a place. Without a place, no one will no where to put it. Label things, put things in a place that makes sense – keys by the front door on a hook, for example. Reminding kids to put things away before they can have other privileges like TV watching or other media time, before going to friend’s house, going out side, etc. – is a good way to enforce this rule of putting things away. If you don’t have a place for it, it’s time to toss or give it away. If you can’t fit it, it needs to go!
- Keep it up: Keeping up with this whole way of living isn’t that hard. It only take a few minutes a day. When you help your family maintain these habits, your home will look great but you’ll also have much more responsible children.
To see more ideas for organizing with kids:
Six Ways to Turn Any Job into a Game – 10 Surefire Tips to Get Your Kids to Clean Their Rooms – Get Kids to Clean and Organize