Have you been injured by your child's Lego's?
Have your child's toys pummeled you in the head when you opened their closet?
Is your child's desk covered with junk, and they are unable to use it?
Do I need to go on?
I have always striven for organization, even more so now that I am a parent. Setting a good example for my child is important. I don't want my son to be featured on an episode of Hoarders one day, but from the appearance of his bedroom it was heading in that direction. So I called in the pros, a professional organizer otherwise known as Miss Organized Tracy Paye, and The Container Store. I found out that a clean room isn't only pleasing to they eye, but can help kids stay focused academically. According to Ms. Paye, "Disorganization and clutter can create an overwhelming environment which impacts productivity by interfering with focus, decision making and completing homework on time. In contrast, an organized room helps the brain to remain in a more calm and focused state which improves academic performance."
Miss Organized Top 5 tips for getting your kids out of clutter and on the right track!
Step 1 No More Excuses
If your child can’t walk from his door to his bed without tripping on something then getting those things out of the walking path is a good place to start. I recommend getting some bankers boxes and pick all the random stuff off the floor and put it in the boxes. This will help to create a more clear working surface and a less overwhelming environment to work in.
Step 2 Set Up a System
The key to maintaining a clean and organized room whether you are an adult or a child is to set it up so it’s easy to find and put things away. However, keep in mind you and your child may not see easy in the same way. I learned this approach when trying to help my daughter organize her shoes. I bought a hanging shoe organizer for her closet. It had ten slots for her shoes to “easily” be slid into. Well, she just kept throwing her shoes on the floor. It then hit me, instead of making her adapt to a whole new way of managing her shoes, why not accommodate her current behavior but just refine it. That’s when I decided to get her a bucket so she can still throw her shoes so they won’t be all on the floor. Not perfect but it is progress.
Step 3 Individualize Their Room
Let your kid have a say over their room. The more input they have over how they have their stuff, what stuff they have, the colors of their walls and types of furniture, the more ownership they will take of their room. The more they feel ownership in their room, the more inclined they will feel to keep it organized.
Step 4 Dump The Chore Chart
To be honest, I have never seen a chore chart be effective. It creates a lot of extra work for the parents to maintain and keep track of themselves. I recommend instead just getting a dry erase board that can be put up in an area where you will remember to remind them to look at. Only put three tasks on there at a time.
The Benefits of a Clean Room
It should come as no surprise that kids are happier in a cleaner, well organized environment. Miss Organized has witnessed the benefits of a declutter and admitted, "We often hear stories of kid’s sleeping better, being more cooperative and more excited about keeping their rooms clean. My favorite story is that of a young boy with Autism whose mom told us her son had gone “number two” on his own for the first time after we organized his toy room. Even his doctor noticed a difference in him. After asking the mom “what happened to cause these improvements” and she proudly said, “Miss Organized happened.”
Try These Cool Organization Products from The Container Store® Blue Large Lego Storage Drawer $29.99
Lego Minifigure Display Case $19.99 each
Get Organized Contact Tracy Paye https://missorganized.com/
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