Teaching Your Kids How to Organize

How many times do you walk past your child's bedroom and think to yourself, "Man, this is just a wreck!" I think we all have been there, and it is this moment that you decide it is time to teach your child how to organize and clean his own room.

Of course, this is easier said than done, so here are a few tips that should help you along your teaching journey.

Survey the room yourself

Take a quick scan of the room to see how you would clean it. Start finding places for toys and art supplies. Once you have an idea, it is time to teach your child how you would like him to clean.

Use simple commands

Children actively try to decipher complicated words and commands. Therefore, your child may not fully understand what you want him to do. A great tip to help your child understand is to take a picture of his room when it is clean. Explain to him that his room should always look like the picture. Post the picture for reference. 

Organize

Clean the room with your child and show him how you want things organized. Sort by color, size and type. So, for example, have places for his small toys, medium-sized toys and large toys. Have a place for his art supplies. Have a place for his shoes. Show him which clothes you want in which drawers. 

Have a home

After each type of toy is organized, have a home for them. You can purchase small, clear drawers made of plastic that are typically eye-level with children. These are great for organizing toys, books and crayons. 

One toy at a time

An easy way to keep the room clean is to allow your child to have only one toy out at a time. When he gets tired of coloring, make him put his crayons and books away before he can take out another toy.

Children aren't perfect, so don't get mad if your child forgets this rule. Simply remind him that you will only allow him to have one or two toys out at any moment.

Have times for cleaning

You can easily keep a room clean by making your child clean his room a couple times a day. Perhaps, you can set one cleaning time in the afternoon and the second cleaning time at night. 

Above all, resist the urge to clean the room yourself. You don't want your child to think that if he doesn't clean, you will. It is all a part of the learning process.

Author Bio: 

Lyndsi is an interior designer, freelance writer, and mother of three. When decorating houses she suggests keeping extra things at self storage Riverside CA and storage units Chicago. In her free time she enjoys photography and swimming.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate link(s). See our Disclosure Policies for more information. We've shared this information to inform you of your option to either use our affiliated links or to go directly to the site of interest.