Help Your Child Get Organized

From the time you wake up, you have a set pattern of going about your chores. You follow the same routine every day. This comes to you naturally as the routine works like clockwork for you. If you look at it closely you rarely change that flow. When you have to add a new activity it takes time to fit it in as it’s new to you and you go about using a checklist or an alarm to remind you of this new activity, till it becomes part of your routine. In short, this is how you organize your day. Organizing your day is important as you can efficiently get your tasks accomplished. The same also applies also to children. It is important to inculcate organization skills in children so that their time is spent effectively during the day and they feel like they have had a balanced productive day.

The flip side of not being organized is that your child will always be flustered, may not study the right subject for the test, may not complete their homework, etc. Children do not like set routines or following rules. So as parents you need to make sure you make it fun for them. Once they form the habit it will become a part of their being.

Here’s a look at different ways in which you can help your child get organized:

1.Make a schedule sheet: stick a schedule sheet in their room where it is visible and jointly fill up all that they need to do in the day. When you start this activity with them early they will slowly adopt this as they grow up. They will slowly start referring to this sheet to check their schedule for the day and this will become part of their routine gradually.

2.Set an example: children tend to follow everything you do. If you want them to get organised you need to be organised to and follow what you preach. When your children see you organizing your day they will also follow through.

3.Make it fun: make following a routine fun. Make them go back to their checklist and record the top three things they followed today. Instead of listing down standard instructions. Write things to pack for a vacation or three things to do when you come back from school. What do we do before eating food etc?

4.Give them activities that involve organising and sorting: various activities around the house involve sorting and organizing. Like make the cupboard or sorting shoes etc. get them to do these activities with you and keep explaining what you are doing. This will inculcate essential life skills like helping around the home and make them sensitive towards the roles and responsibilities of all members of the family including house helps.

5.Give them a mini-planner: giving them their planner will make them feel like an adult. They get to write down and plan their day on their own. Make sure they are using the planner and following through.

6.Reward and acknowledge their achievements: we all love to win! every time your child completes everything that was scheduled or achieves a difficult task. Acknowledge and congratulate them for following through. Sometimes go ahead and reward them too.

7.Notice if your child likes collecting items: most children like collecting something of the other like stamps, stones, shells, etc. anything that will get them to sort, segregate, arrange and classify. Build this into their routine as this will also build their trait of being ‘organized’.

Just like you if children continue to follow these simple things it will become part of their being. Organization skills are important as they help you work and do things in a focused manner. They also help you in using time productively and do things on time. These skills will help them in life. There is only once thing to keep in mind. Do not make following a routine watertight. There should be room to explore new things. So not everything needs to be followed to the T or needs to be followed the way you do it. Small steps taken with joint efforts will gradually pay off and help build a sense of responsibility and organization in your child.