Ways to help your child get organised

Teaching your children how to be organised from when they are young helps them  achieve deft skills in organising things and with an appreciable ability to get things done faster and efficiently without any overt involvement by the adult figure. It also helps them to be more organized as teenagers and adults. More so, it […]

Teaching your children how to be organised from when they are young helps them  achieve deft skills in organising things and with an appreciable ability to get things done faster and efficiently without any overt involvement by the adult figure.
It also helps them to be more organized as teenagers and adults. More so, it is lot easier to impact organizational skills in them early than when they have developed disorganized habits.
While some children seem naturally organized, for others organization is a skill learned over time. With help and some practice, children can develop an effective approach to getting stuff done.
Experts say inculcating organizational skills in children helps train them mentally to appreciate the place of order and neatness in daily affairs and would go a long way in instilling in the young mind the values of being organised in every aspect of their lives. It does not leave out the issue of ‘living by example’ that ought to be practised by every parent.
Experts on Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities, a resource on learning disabilities, say “Developing good organizational skills is a key ingredient for success in school and in life. Although some people by nature are more organized than others, anyone can put routines and systems in place to help a child become more organized.”
They suggest the strategies that parents can use to help their child develop good organizational skills which include; the use of checklists, organized homework assignments, setting a designated study space and study time, keeping organised notebooks, conducting a weekly clean-up, creating a household schedule and a ‘master calendar’ which prepares kids for the day ahead and providing the necessary support for the child who learning to become more organized.’ It emphasises that, ‘help your child develop organizational skills by photocopying checklists and schedules and taping them to the refrigerator. Give children gentle reminders about filling in calendar dates and keeping papers and materials organized. Most important, set a good example.’
Child experts on Kids Health suggest a three step method. “For kids, all tasks can be broken down into a 1-2-3 process.
1. Getting organized means a kid gets where he or she needs to be and gathers the supplies needed to complete the task.
2. Staying focused means sticking with the task and learning to say “no” to distractions.
3. Getting it done means finishing up, checking your work, and putting on the finishing touches, like remembering to put a homework paper in the right folder and putting the folder inside the backpack so it’s ready for the next day.
They say once kids know these steps — and how to apply them — they can start tackling tasks more independently. That means homework, chores, and other tasks will get done with increasing consistency and efficiency. Of course, kids will still need parental help and guidance, but you probably won’t have to nag as much.
Not only is it practical to teach these skills, but knowing how to get stuff done will help your child feel more competent and effective. Kids feel self-confident and proud when they’re able to accomplish their tasks and responsibilities. They’re also sure to be pleased when they find they have some extra free time to do what they’d like to do.
They advise: To get started, introduce the 1-2-3 method and help your child practice it in daily life. Even something as simple as brushing teeth requires this approach, so you might use this example when introducing the concept:
1. Getting organized: Go to the bathroom and get out your toothbrush and toothpaste. Turn on the water.
2. Staying focused: Dentists say to brush for 3 minutes, so that means keep brushing, even if you hear a really good song on the radio or you remember that you wanted to call your friend. Concentrate and remember what the dentist told you about brushing away from your gums.
3. Getting it done: If you do steps 1 and 2, step 3 almost takes care of itself. Hurray, your 3 minutes are up and your teeth are clean! Getting it done means finishing up and putting on the finishing touches. With teeth brushing, that would be stuff like turning off the water, putting away the toothbrush and paste, and making sure there’s no toothpaste foam on your face!
A parent,   Mariam Danladi suggests that parents themselves should be organized, give clear instructions to their children on the importance of organization and make efforts to teach them how to be organized. “They can do this by helping their children in school arrange and put their things in drawers, guide them on putting things together in logical groupings and staying focused wherever they are or whatever they are doing in order not to forget easily.”