Have you seen The Emperor’s New Groove? Remember Kronk’s shoulder angel and devil? Yeah, let’s pretend they’re on your shoulders now.
Situation: Your child’s room is covered with toys. Again. You already asked him to clean up yet here we are, staring into a mess.
Shoulder devil: Oh come on, just throw it all away. He never listens to you anyways and so you deserve to just trash it all!
Shoulder angel: But he did let his little sister play with him. They were having so much fun dumping out all the toys! You could hear their giggles 3 rooms away! Just let the mess be.
So which side are you on?
Guess what? Children learn with their hands. They learn by making messes, playing, discovering. The mess is inevitable and it’s perfectly healthy. So what can you do? Teach a new skill.
You’re either organized or you’re not. It’s something you’re born with and it can’t be changed. WRONG!!! Organizing is a learnable skill and like with any skill, the only way to get better at it is to practice, practice, practice.
So here are 3 ways you can help teach your child how to organize. Will the mess still happen? Of course! But you won’t be the only one picking it up now!
1. Label: Oftentimes toys or other possessions don’t get put away because there is no obvious place to put them. So they get left out or shoved into a closet. When you label, you are helping your child know exactly where something belongs. If they can’t read yet- make a picture label.
2. Limit: Do you feel overwhelmed when you see every toy in your child’s room dumped all over the floor? Guess what, they do too! Limiting how many toys your child has access to can actually help them play with their toys longer and up the quality of that play time. Does that mean you have to get rid of half their toys? Nope! Just keep out 5 or so categories of toys and put the rest up high in a closet or in bins under your bed. Rotate them every week or so. It’s magic, I promise!
3. Love: How do you feel when someone notices what you’ve done? Thank you so much Mom for making this meal! Thanks Mom for washing my favorite shirt so I can wear it again! Who doesn’t like attention called to their hard work and effort? Kids are no exception. Rather than nagging your child to, “pick up your toys,” or “stop leaving your dolls out,” notice the things they do and call attention to it. When we praise positive behavior, it increases. Every time your child puts a toy away or does something to show responsibility for their things, compliment them on it! I’d bet you ten bucks they’ll start doing it more often!
So there you go, 3 tips to start helping your child exercise that organizing muscle! And the more you keep at it, the stronger you will help them become!
Happy Organizing,
Camille Cazier
