Many times when I speak to moms groups or have mothers in my audience, there are always these sort of  questions:

1. How do I get my child to keep their room organized?
2. How do I organize all the stuffed animals?
3. How do I get my ADD/ADHD child to stay organized?
4. How do I get my child to let go of some things?

Bottom line – Is organizing your kids possible? Yes.

Will they keep things organized the way you want them? Probably not.

Think about the things your mother suggested you do in your room.  Did you always do it as she suggested? If you say yes to this question, then I guess you were the perfect child so you can skip this blog post.  We’ll address perfectionism another time…..

Your children are individuals who are uniquely created, having their strengths and weaknesses that may differ from yours.  They will also have different ideas about what being organized looks like. There is no “one and only way” to organize. What you can do for your children is to set some boundaries as far as your minimum expectations for their room and possessions. Give them time to get used to these boundaries; give them tools that will help them be successful.  And most important, be a good role model.  My friend, Kevin Bracy, reminded me yesterday that children can’t hear what you are saying because your actions are speaking so loudly.

So how organized are you? What are your children seeing?

I recently went to a community event where the speaker delivered valuable information on AD/HD or ADD.  This topic is always of interest to me as one of my sons, now 19, has ADD.  He was diagnosed in the 3rd grade and was on and off medication.  The side effects of the medication were lack of appetite, hard to sleep, and “feeling weird” (per my son).  So we set about to find other solutions that worked for him.

One of the solutions was to get rid of his dresser.  Sounds weird, right?  But we had a constant battle with him about his clothes.  We expected his room to be cleaned up ( just once a week) and his clothes were always the biggest hurdle.  There were clothes on the bed, on the floor, falling out of the dresser – pure chaos to his professional organizer mom!  One day when he and I were arguing about this,  I asked “What’s it going to take to get you to put away your clothes?”.  His response was “I don’t like my dresser.”

What??!! What is there not to like about a dresser. It’s not your best friend, but it does hold your clothes… Then I asked more questions.  He eventually related that he hated having to open and close the drawers.  He only wore the clothes on top because he couldn’t see the ones underneath. He felt the drawers were a hassle.  I really listened and realized that although most Americans use dressers, it didn’t mean that he had to.  There were other ways to manage his clothing.  So we removed the dresser and here’s what we did:

1. Purchased more hangers, and hung up all his clothes. Yes, even his jeans and skater t-shirts.
2. Put 2 baskets on the shelf above the closet rod; one for socks, the other for underwear.
3. Seasonal items like his gloves, snowboard pants, and other winter gear we put in a clear zipper bag under his bed.

This simple solution cost less than $10.00 and has worked for the past 5 years!  Even now that he does his own laundry!  It works for him because he can “see” all of his clothes at a glance, he doesn’t have to fold anything, and he doesn’t have to open and clothes several drawers to get dressed in the morning.

Sometimes we have to step out of the mentality of  “that’s what everyone does or uses” and come up with systems that work better for us, whether we have ADD or not!  Please share some solutions you have come up with to help stay organized and on top of your day-to-day activities.   I would love your comments!

As a mother who has seen 5 children through many school years, I discovered a little tip that helped in a lot of ways:

1. Fast identification
2. Reading skills not needed
3. Clean up  was easier
4. Less things lost or missing

The tip?  To color code your children and their school supplies.  Assign each child a different color (perferably the favorite color of the child).  Purchase EVERYTHING for school in that color.

• backpack
• pencils
• pencil boxes/pouches
• binders
• pencil sharpeners
• calculators

And for those things that do not come in color assortments, purchase colored tape and put the tape on the blue ink pens, crayon boxes, and other supplies.  Color coding is used for many other applications, so why not our children.  They don’t have to read to know that all green supplies belong to them and red supplies to their sibling. Using color coding makes it easy to see who forgot to clean up after homework time and avoid the “That’s mine!” battle cry.  If a green pencil is found under the table, you know which child to return it to.

A simple tip, but one to help your sanity….

Summer is winding down and it’s time to start thinking about school again. School for the little ones or perhaps school for you – learning can take place at any age! It helps to be organized in advance to get your school year off to a smooth start. And it’s simple! Here are 2 things to do now so that you are prepared:

Have a School Resource Binder

Create a Drop Zone

School Resource Binder:

Using a three ring binder, dividers and a few sheet protectors, you can be prepared for the onslaught of information you will receive as the school year begins. You can organize the binder to hold the school’s yearly calendar, the classroom/teacher information, newsletters, and fundraising/PTA information. Take note of the minimum days and school holidays and be sure to transfer that information onto your personal calendar immediately. As a general rule, this binder will need to be updated and purged on a regular basis. Use the pocket inside the front of the binder to hold a copy of your child’s emergency card so that you have the information readily available for field trip forms. Keeping a pencil here is also a good idea!

Creating a Drop Zone:

Creating a drop zone is applies the mudroom concept to the area where you first come into your home each day. For some families that area is by the front door, for others it is the area by the garage door that leads into the house. Even the smallest area can be transformed into a functional drop zone with the addition of a few hooks, baskets, and shelves. The purpose of the drop zone is to be able to drop what you’ve brought in and stage it for exit for tomorrow. Kids need hooks for backpacks and jackets, parents need a shelf for car keys and sunglasses. Baskets hold shoes and other items to go.

So why wait for school to start? Get these two things in place and you’ll be ready!

I meet many moms who ask, ” How do I get my teenager to clean up their room and keep it organized?” If you could hear them, their voice is strained and there is usually a heavy sigh at the end of the question. Just like us, teenagers motivations vary and, just like us, they have a reason for where they put things. So, although I am an organizing consultant, I can only tell you what has worked in our family. They can be best summarized into three criteria:

1. Expectations: Yours vs. theirs. The teenager will need to raise their expectation of what a clean room is and you, as the parent, will have to lower yours. Have a conversation with your teen and come to some kind of baseline level of what an acceptable room would look like. Get some buy in and keep your end of the bargain. My 15 year old son hated putting his clothes away in dresser drawers, we compromised and removed the dresser. He now hangs everything up. His socks and underwear are stored in baskets on the closet shelf. This small change has made him more successful in keeping his room neat.
2. Planning: Find out how the teenager will want to organize their room and see if there is any suggestions you can offer (not dictate!). Offer to provide containers or bins needed. Get a clothes basket for their room, if they don’t already have one. Decide what items or furnishings need to be removed and/or replaced. The toy chest, for example, that used to hold Lego’s is probably an inefficient use of space in a teenager’s room.
3. Praise: This one is huge! Even if the task is not finished, be sure to compliment your teenager when you notice a change for the good. Praising is the opposite of nagging and can go a long way in getting your teenager to continue the project. They will still need to be reminded of what the expectations are but do this in a gracious way (or they accuse you of nagging). Think about your boss and how you would want to be talked to when asked to improve in a certain area. Use the same tact with your teenager.

I would love to hear from some of you who have teenagers as to what works for getting them organized. Let’s share the love!

Many of my friends dread their children’s homework more than the child does! I often hear things like “I practically have to stand over him”, “She does the work but doesn’t turn it in”, “He just can’t stay still and do the homework”. Granted, some of these issues may be due to things like ADD or ADHD but setting up a proper homework environment certainly can’t help but get the homework off to a good start. Here are three things I recommend:

Location:
The location is not always the same for each child and may not even be the one that you would choose. Talk with your child, ask him if he likes to read in a quiet place or with music in the background? Also consider the personality of the child; extroverts like to be where the action is while introverts treasure their personal space and desire to be alone. Do they need a quiet corner in which to do their work? Can they go about most of the work unsupervised? Do they want you nearby to help or like to be where you are? Or is the household hub, usually the kitchen, where they want to be? If your student is a teenager, they want to be more independent and value their privacy. Many teenagers make their bedroom the first choice for homework. Regardless of the location, what is important is that you and your child make the decision together where the homework should be done.

Timing:
Again this depends on your child. Some children want to come right home and get the work done while others want to release some energy first and settle down to homework later. Neither choice is bad so long as the homework gets done. What is most important is that the homework time stays consistent every day.

The Homework Tools:
I recommend a homework box. This is a lidded box that contains pens, pencils, erasers, a hand held pencil sharpener, a ruler, extra binder paper, report covers, staples, and paper clips. For pre-teens and teenagers, a pocket thesaurus, highlighters, compass, graph paper, and calculator will be needed. Having this homework box not only keeps your child’s school supplies organized, but provides a central location for all tools that may be needed to complete the homework assignments.
Another important tool is the student planner. Many schools now require the students to use a school planner. This is an important step in teaching them to be organized and responsible. If your child’s school does not issue a planner then buy them one. Choose a planner that shows the week on two pages; this will allow your student enough space in which to record their homework. Having them record their homework daily helps with forgetfulness and will enhance their homework time because it eliminates the time wasted trying to remember and find the homework assignments. It also helps teach prioritization. Often, essays and projects are assigned well in advance of the due date and using the planner to break the work down into smaller pieces can help to avoid the last minute rush. The skill of learning how to juggle the homework load will carry over into adulthood – don’t we have to prioritize and juggle our workloads?
I also recommend a homework folder. Purchase a report folder in a bright, neon color. Label it “Homework Folder” and ask that the child place the completed homework in there and put into the backpack every night. Then when the child opens the backpack at school seeing the bright folder may help them to remember to turn in the work. You should also check this folder to be sure it is empty when your child returns from school each day. Another alternative is to have a divider pocket in the front of the school binder in which to put work that should be turned in.

Remember with homework, consistency and organization are a big help!

When it comes to organizing your child’s room, I can not stress the importance of having the child on board. If you are going to organize their room, they need to know about it and they need to be there! Many times I have had parents tell me that the child’s room was such a disaster that they just went in, cleaned it up, and totally organized it. Then within a week the room looks like it was never done…..

The reason your child needs to be on board is that if they feel that their space has been invaded, they are not going to keep it organized – it’s a rebellious gesture. Your child needs to be present because it is their belongings after all. Your child will most likely not be your clone so their personality and uniqueness has to be taken into consideration .You will need their input as to where things should be located or organized. The organization of their room must be convenient for them, not you. Several factors come into play here. Items that are frequently used must be easily accessible, favorite collections need to be displayed according to the child’s preference, and storage containers used must be appealing to the child or none of this works.

Plan a day with you child where you both go in and sort items in the room into like piles and while doing so, talk about how the child envisions their room being set up. Think of the room in terms of “centers”, or areas of activity: the dressing/laundry area, the study area, the storage area, the hang out area or play area (depending on your child’s age). After listening, offer helpful suggestions. Give the child two or three choices in how things could be set up. Let them make the decision as to which solution they like the best. Although it is your ideas, they feel like they have some control. After the sorting and discussion has taken place, talk about getting rid of things and how donations can help others in need. Plan to regularly recycle things that don’t get used or that don’t fit any longer.

When putting the room back together, reuse containers that work and then go shopping, as a team, to get anything else needed to organize the room. There are a ton of storage options out there but here are three things to remember: 1) the containers must be easily stored and accessed; 2) the containers should be large enough that once the intended items are placed inside, there is still approximately 25% empty space for later additions; and 3) label the containers.

Involving your child in their room reorganization will greatly improve the chances of it remaining organized. Another tip for maintaining the room is to check the child’s room weekly for a few months, reminding the child where they decided things should be kept and having them put things away. Keeping up on their room weekly should become a habit you enforce and a valuable life lesson that will follow them into adulthood.

Some of you may be beginning to think about shopping for school clothes and gearing up for your child’s next school year, so here’s a strategy for handling the mountain of school papers. Each day artwork, graded paper, and homework come home and seem to spill out everywhere. Soon the pile is all over the house or your child’s backpack is bursting at the seams. Below are 5 easy steps to managing that paper load and keeping the school day memories intact.

1. Label a 10 x 13 manila envelope as follows: Child’s Name
School Year
Grade

This envelope will hold a year’s worth of your child’s school work, artwork, and even report cards. How can all of it fit? By only putting in the most precious of items and enjoying the others for a short time before they are recycled.

2. Label a basket or wall pocket with your child’s name.

Place this basket or wall pocket in the same area where your child drops the backpack when entering the house after school. Train the child to remove all graded school papers and artwork from the back pack daily. Have the child put these papers in their labeled basket or wall pocket. DO NOT put homework, which needs to be turned in, here.

3. Pick a time each week when you will sit down with your child and look through the weeks’ papers. This is a good time to have quality conversation with your child. Compliment your child, ask questions, talk about the past school week and the week to come. Children need to know that you care what is going on at their school. Decide together which paper should be saved in the manila envelope. If there are many pieces of artwork or large items, consider taking a picture of them and putting the photograph in the envelope to save space.

4. As the school year progresses, the child’s manila envelope may need to be gone through and some items removed to make room for the most precious items to be kept.

The goal here is to have one manila envelope per year. The most important work is saved in an orderly fashion and can be retrieved easily.

5. At the end of the school year, store the yearly manila envelopes in a plastic storage container with a lid. This will keep the dust and moisture out. This can be stored in the garage or other storage area. Remember to label this storage container, “School Days Memorabilia”, to save you from opening every storage bin looking for this school work in the future!

© 2005 Natalie Conrad