"Clean your room." "Ugh! Oh, Mom. I’ll do it later!"
This same dialog is shared by millions of parents and their children all over the world. Do you suddenly have the driving urge to get your child’s room in order? Where do you start? Here are a few ideas:
SCHEDULE. Schedule a specific date and time to clean out your
child’s room. Your daughter or son, if she or he is old enough, should
be there to help.
DUMP OR DONATE. Have a large box on hand for items you will be
donating to your local charity or selling at a rummage sale. Also, have
a large plastic garbage bag--maybe two or three--for everything you
will be disposing of. Your son or daughter can help here. Let them
know that every item that is of no use to them, that they donate, will
be helping another child. Also, tell them that it’s important to discard
anything that will never be used, to make room for new, useful items.
CLOTHES CLOSET. The clothes closet is usually a good place to
start. Pull everything out until it’s completely empty. Then, the only
items that should be returned to the closet are those articles of
clothing or other items that are going to be used again. This should
eliminate clothing that doesn’t fit, is worn out, and so on. If you’re not
sure if an item fits your child anymore, have him or her try it on right
now.
BASEBALL CAPS. Hang a baseball cap rack on the back of your
child’s bedroom door to keep all caps neat and organized. Ensure it’s
at a reachable level for your child and that he/she understands the
proper way to hang the caps on it.
SHOES. A shoe rack can keep children's shoes organized, easily
accessible and in one place. Show your child how to organize shoes,
keeping all pairs together and separating dress shoes from casual.
STUFFED ANIMALS, TOYS AND GAMES. Put up shelves in
children’s rooms. This is usually a better solution for toy storage
versus containers, because the toys won’t get crushed and will be
easily obtainable. Make sure the shelves are at a reasonable height
so that your child can reach wanted items.
PAPER. Create a filing system for your child, to keep artwork, rock
star photos, blank paper, notes from family and friends, etc. Use a
portable filing container that is capable of holding hanging files and
that can be transported to someplace else if necessary. The ones with
handles are nice, since they can be transported to different homes, on
vacation, and so on. Some of these containers have snap-shut
compartments for pens, pencils, clips, and more.
RESPONSIBILITY. Teach your children to clean and organize as
soon as they’re old enough to do so. If you help them do this now, you
will be helping them when they’re old enough to move out on their
own. Devise a simple daily checklist for maintenance. If you have two
children sharing the same room, divide the room in half with an
imaginary line. Describe this imaginary line to each child. Assign each
one the responsibility of keeping their side clean and organized.
This article is by Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!™ Want to get organized? Get your FREE Get Organized Now!™ Idea-Pak, filled with tips and ideas to help you organize your home, your office and your life, at the Get Organized Now!™ Web site http://www.getorganizednow.com
