9 Tips to Help Your Kids Be Organized

This post is contributed by Kristi Pelzel, Author of “Kid-ganize!” Teaching Kids To Be Organized and The Get Organized Book Series.

Need Your Kids to Be More Organized?

The ability for kids to independently organize and manage their footprint in the house will lead to greater responsibilities both at home and outside of the home.  Here are some tips to get your kids on the right track and be organized…

This post may contain affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy.

9 Tips to Help Your Kids Be Organized

1. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE

It all starts with you!  If you are not organized and don’t have pre-planned spots for things throughout the house, how are your kids going to be able to follow suit?

2. BE A ROLE MODEL

For better or worse, your kids see it all, and they learn from you by watching how you walk, talk and organize too.  Be the organizer that you want them to be.

3. TRY HAND-OVER-HAND HELP

Personal attention is a way to team build, show empathy and reinforce good behavior.  When you see your kids organizing, jump in and physically help them finish an area.  They will feel like they are part of a team if you work together on it.

4. GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Good behavior becomes habit when there is something keeping it in place.  Would you go to work everyday without getting paid?  Kids will be organized on a more consistent basis when they know you are noticing and proud of them for their efforts.  Give them lots of positive reinforcement through verbal praise.

5. TRY A REWARD SYSTEM

Getting something out of the normal flow of the day can be major motivation for longer periods of consistent organization.  Create a chart or have them get you to initial the calendar each time they put things away properly.  When they fill the chart or calendar, they earn a special family movie night or other meaningful reward!

6. BE CONSISTENT

If kids trust that you mean what you say, they can count on you to deliver a reinforcement, reward or consequence every time.  Knowing this will help enforce an organization routine.

7. GET RID OF ALL THAT STUFF!

If every drawer, cabinet, closet, chest, shelf, counter top, and available floor space is full, it’s going to be hard to create accessible and visible zones that help support kids becoming good independent organizers.  Simply paring down can help with organization.

8. HAVE A FLOW TO YOUR DAY

Kids like consistency.  Make their routine as consistent as possible when it comes to where things belong.  This will help take the stress out of not being able to find things when they need them.

9. REMEMBER: ISSUES ARE “FAMILY” ISSUES NOT INDIVIDUAL

If you have a child who struggles with organization and processing steps it’s not their issue alone.  Consider the impact on the whole family when one child cannot find things, put things away, or follow directions.

How do you get your kids to be organized?  Have any tips you would add to the list above?  Share about it in the comments below!

This post is contributed by Kristi Pelzel, Author of “Kid-ganize!” Teaching Kids To Be Organized and The Get Organized Book Series.

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This post may contain affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy.