Too many parents have the tendency to do things for their kids, instead of getting them to take charge of their day. Of course, what you ask a four-year-old and a ten-year-old will be quite different, but they need to start learning, at an early age, how to be responsible. And that quality, comes from the capacity to organize. Here is how you can help your kid.
It Starts With You (the Parents)
You can’t ask of others what you don’t do yourself. If you want to give your kids a chance to be fully functional, you have to be so, yourself.
Clothes are a good example of where you can make a difference. When you send your kid for a new year of school, at an early age, then you need to use iron-on name labels so that other kids or parents don’t end-up taking them to their home instead. Doing so can also justify your anger (a big word) if he doesn’t come back from school with all his clothes, saying that he couldn’t find them. Then, you can remind him that the name was placed inside, and so, if needed, he can always ask a teacher to help him look for the missing pieces.
Teaching children how to fold and organize their own clothes is equally important. If they think clothes can just be stuffed willy-nilly into drawers or bins, they will likely end up doing that for the rest of their lives and never learn how to fold their clothing. Folding clothing is quickly becoming a lost art in today’s fast-paced society and this is one talent we think should be retained.
Stick To A Schedule
If you do not organize their lives, during their first school years, they will start to believe that it is normal to just go about life, as it happens, without preparing and organizing things. That could be one of the costliest mistakes you will ever make, and it could leave your children with a big disadvantage, especially when they leave home and start working.
Therefore, make sure there is a method to the way you raise them, by always attending to anything they may need, well in advance and following a tight schedule for homework, study and play time as well. Also, make sure the hour is always the same, when you put them to bed.
Sticking to a schedule is really challenging at first, but you’ll find so much peace in your home once you get everyone used to a routine and a well-organized schedule. There will so much less chaos in your daily life and you will quickly achieve total family organization.
Involve Your Kids in Home Tasks
The best way to achieve family organization is to involve the child in the tasks needed to be done around the house. Do not make them feel like it is a chore, though. Let them come in as “partners” to the job you have to do, by letting them in on your daily activities. Before adolescence is when most kids want to be included in what mom or dad is doing. Otherwise, if you just tell them to clean their room, or do the dishes, pick up the towels off the bathroom floor, etc., they will only feel like they are forced into it. While making them do their part is important, starting straight off the bat with forcing them to do tasks can create a bad atmosphere around the house. It’s better to start when they are younger so they are used to the responsibility of doing chores.
There’s An App For That!
Wondering if there are apps to help keep you organized? The answer is YES! S’moresUp is one of the best chores app available and is your one-stop for total family organization. You’ll love how it simplifies keeping track of things like chores, rewards, tasks, schedules, and more. It’s everything you need for total family organization.
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