They may not have too much homework or a job, but it is important for kids to learn how to be organized. Teaching your kids organizational skills will help them later when time management can make or break their grades, and being late to work can get them fired. Here are 5 organizational skills kids should learn.
Get rid of clutter
If your child has a desk at school with an open front or drawer underneath that allows for some storage, it can easily get cluttered. In order for them to keep their space at school neat, encourage your child to regularly get rid of things they don’t need. Papers are especially easy to pile up, but even little kinder surprise toys or dollar store erasers can easily be purged. Unless your son or daughter is starting a collection, you may want to get them to reduce their pile of various animal-shaped erasers that is doing nothing other than cluttering up their desk.
Have a place for everything
For the toys and novelty school supplies that your child doesn’t want to get rid of, at least teach them to have a place for everything. Even just making sure they hang up their jacket when they get home will teach your kids organizational skills. It will also help their elementary school teacher keep the coatroom from becoming a zoo in the mornings. So it’s a win-win!
Don’t allow playtime until things are put away
Once they have a place for their toys, encourage your kids to put them in that place once they’re done playing. Before starting with the next game, make sure they clean up from their last activity.
Learn to have a schedule
Even though they might not have a lot of homework, it is still good for your child to start keeping track of their schedule. Maybe it’s a chart in their room outlining when they have to do their chores or go to swimming lessons. Or, they could even keep a little agenda to write down when they have a field trip or that they have a spelling test on Thursday.
Learn to be on time
Finally, teach your child the importance of punctuality at a young age. Building this habit while they are young will help them later. Before long, turning an assignment in one day late could result in the loss of an entire grade.
Teaching your kids organizational skills will not only help them now, but will also greatly benefit them later in life! So start with these little things while they’re still young to get them off to a good start.
