Organize + Energize: 4 Summer Organizing Projects for Kids
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
How wonderful would it be if you never had to tell your kids to straighten their spaces again? Get them organized and create working organized systems and create a home for everything and your job as a parent will get easier. Summer is a great time to get your kids organized. If they are over the age of 5, get them involved. They won’t learn this skill set unless you introduce it to them.
What do you usually do with the kids on a rainy day in the summer? Now you will have something to do and it will take less than 4 days to complete these areas. You have 4 rainy days to spare this summer, right?
Before you begin to tackle the following areas, keep these questions in mind for your child:
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHow are you functioning in your room?
What systems are working, if any?
Do you have a place for everything in your room?
How are you handling the paper you bring home from school? Is it just thrown in a corner or is there a system to handle it?
Are you keeping track of project due dates and events, etc.?
Do you feel overwhelmed in any area of your life?
Here are 4 areas to tackle this summer:
Organize their bedroom. Can you remember the last time you emptied your kid’s clothes closets and bureaus? It’s time to go through every article of clothing. How about all of the baby books on their shelves? If they are 15 and still have those baby books on their shelves, it’s time to take inventory. It’s time to take inventory of their entire bedroom. Break the process down. Maybe one day you can focus on clothes and the next day you can focus on accessories and then bookshelves. Once you have decluttered, create a process and system for everything they touch in their room. Everything should have a home.
Create a homework space. I find that many kids like doing their homework at the dining room table or on the couch in the family room. Do they want a space of their own? Can they concentrate with all of the distractions in the dining room or family room? Wherever they would like to do their homework, carve out a small nook and set them up with everything they need to complete their homework. What types of supplies and filing systems do they need? There are so many great organizing supplies out there today. Once you figure out what they need to stay organized, take them on a shopping trip.
Organize their bathroom. Kids should have an organized space in the bathroom. Some kids have their own bathroom and that’s great, but make sure it’s organized. Empty the contents of the entire bathroom, declutter, categorize, itemize and organize to how they function. Having an organized bathroom will help your kids to become more efficient and productive in the morning.
Organize their toy room. If they are at the age where toys are taking over the home, it’s time to get them organized. Are there toys all over the home or are they corralled to one location in the home. Carve out a space for them and contain and organize the toys. There are great organizing products out there. Teach your kids to put toys back when they are finished playing with them. Start these routines when they are young and watch how the habits form and transfer to other areas of their lives.
Do you find your kids are asking you about getting organized? Are they craving structure? If you know you don’t have the organizational skill set, but you really want your kids to get organized, it may be time to call in a professional organizer who will work one-on-one with your kids. When your kids enter into college and into the workforce they will appreciate that you gave them the gift of getting them organized when they were young.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, the founder and owner of Organizing in RI, has always enjoyed finding creative ways to streamline the environment around her. She has appeared on air on Patricia Raskin's Positive Business Radio and her articles have been published in the Rhode Island Small Business Journal and New England Home Life. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to start. She is also available for organizing workshops. Tune into her weekly radio show, Organize, Energize! on talkstreamradio.com.
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