HELPING PARENTS AND CHILDREN GET ORGANIZED
by Rachelle Tannenbaum 

Organization Should Be a Family Affair

Organization isn’t just for parents. True, there are some things that are too difficult or not appropriate for children. But in general, your goal should be to help children learn why organization is a good thing (“Why don’t we find a special place to put Teddy so that you’ll always know where to find him each night?”) and to be responsible for their own things and their own time. True, this sometimes means more work in the short term. It also takes patience, since you can probably do most things faster than your child can. But in the long run, you will be teaching your children skills that will last a lifetime: organization, discipline, self-reliance, and preparedness.

Organize Your Things

• Develop a method for organizing paper and information. Depending on your personality and work style, there are a number of methods that can be used. Some people prefer a traditional file cabinet with neatly labeled files. Personally, I file a lot of stuff using the “throw everything in a box” method, with one box per year. It’s a lot quicker for me, and it makes sense for those documents (such as old electric bills) that I will probably not need to access later anyway. For documents for which you need easy access (fliers for school events, shopping lists, school contact information), some people put everything into a 3-ring binder. Still other people prefer to organize information electronically—download bank statements as PDF files, scan receipts, use Web sites such as Remember the Milk to create shopping lists. There is no one “right” method. The key is to find something that works, and then use it consistently.
• Make sure everything has a home. Things are not likely to be put away if they don’t have a place to go. Make liberal use of containers, shelves, and other organizing systems. Go to stores such as The Container Store for ideas. But you don’t necessarily have to buy expensive storage accessories. You can just as easily use cardboard boxes, gallon-size plastic bags, and dollar-store wastebaskets.
• Use small containers, and label them clearly. Large toy boxes and drawers mean that children have to dig around to find what they are looking for. Instead, use smaller containers. Label them so that it is obvious what goes where. For young children, the labels should include pictures and words. This lets them be more independent.
• People of all ages are more likely to stay organized if it’s easy to do without much effort. This is doubly true for children, who are easily frustrated. Make sure to put things in easily-accessible locations. For example, if your child has difficulty getting the lids off of storage containers, try leaving the lids off. Put things at low heights, or provide a small stepstool. Install a lower closet rod if necessary, and consider taking the closet door away altogether (especially if it’s the folding kind, which are difficult for young hands). For young children, consider putting books in a box or dishpan so that they can flip through the books, rather than having to take each book off the shelf in order to see the cover.
• Pick your battles. Organization is important, but this doesn’t mean that everything has to be perfectly neat and clean all the time.
• Get rid of unneeded stuff. All homes eventually acquire all sorts of clutter—toys that are no longer played with, clothes that have been outgrown, etc. Go through one room at a time and sort out what needs to be thrown out or can be given away. You can also rotate through toys. Put some of them away; then when your kids get bored with one group of toys, bring out some from your stash. This way you can keep a sense of “newness” without actually buying anything new. If toys have been unused for a year or more, and haven’t been missed, then give them away.

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