How do I get my kids to be more organised?

Question

They keep on throwings their things here and there and I end up with a messy house

Answer 1

Good question! For the most part, this will have to be something you plan, set up, and teach your children. It will start with YOU, but you can also consult them for their ideas on what to do with their stuff.

A few ideas for you.

Give them a system that is age appropriate and have reasonable standards for their work. One example of age appropriate is picture (instead of written) charts and labels so they can consult them and do their own work. Beds low to the ground and simple covers so they can make their own bed. Laundry tasks that reflect their skill level: Sorting and mating up colored socks for little ones. Folding and hanging for grade schoolers. Sorting dirty laundry for preteens, running the machines as soon as they can reach the buttons.

Give them a system that is easy to maintain. For example, hampers WITHOUT lids so they can toss clothes in from anywhere in the room, making it a game.

Organize toys in smaller containers instead of large toyboxes where stuff sinks to the bottom. Separate toys and store differently: dolls and stuffed animals. Playsets (toy kitchen, racetrack, etc). Riding toys. Lego. Art supplies. Books. Action figures. Dressup clothes.

Declutter toys. If there are a lot lot lot of toys, make sure the toys out are still played with and age appropriate. For outgrown, set the very most cherished aside for the memory box and get the rest out of circulation: donate, sell, store for the next kid. If there is still a lot leftover, consider keeping a few out all the time, but split the rest of the whole collection into two or more MINI collections. A few of each type of thing out at a time, with the rest stored away. Rotate them in and out of circulation when they start to get bored. Make sure you include the kids in this sorting process because they know which toys go together. (For example, if you store the Barbies away and the Barbie car is out, neither will get played with as much.) Their involvement also teaches them about charity.

Organize a daily 15 minute "zoom" to gather up things that are out of place, and put them away, and YOU should be a part of this time. Quick painless teamwork with all family members. This can be just before dinner, or just before bed, or right after school, or whatever. OR DURING COMMERCIALS if your kids are couch potatos, this makes them move FAST. Include putting their clothes away if there is clean laundry.

Organize a "locker" area for each kid as near as possible to your most commonly used entrance. Bookbags, lunch boxes, library books and videos, one pair of shoes, one jacket...basically this is everything that your kids bring in and out of the house on a daily basis and may be scrambling to get those items together every day. EVERYTHING of this nature must live there, reinforced with rewards or punishments to help the process. A "locker" may be anything. Can you find a set of mismatched dining room chairs? (Maybe a dumpster or Goodwill find, or even cheap plastic lawn chairs.) Let your kids decorate them however they wish with paints and stickers, etc. Use the seat for shelf space, hang jackets on the back, and place shoes on a carpet square underneath. Role model by making your OWN chair, and one for daddy too.

Elements to include in any effort:

Keep trying if an idea doesn't work. Maybe it is a habit that needs to take hold, maybe it is a glitch in the idea. Try to be patient.

Make things FUN wherever possible. No nagging and don't try to impose too high of a standard. You are trying to enhance your life with organization, not be controlled or control your kids with their chores.

Appropriate follow through to make it worth their investment to change. When things go smooth, there is often less stress, more time, and better performance. Point these things out and make sure you USE that leftover time to really connect with your kids. Appreciate them for their work and let them know how important their contribution is for the running of the household.

Related, try to talk about issues of character. "I LOVE the way you pitch in, it shows you care about your family!" "You are getting so responsible with your things! It helps me see that you are getting ready for more privileges." "Thank you for donating your toys to Goodwill. It was very generous of you, some kids don't have very many toys." "I appreciate that you take care of your toys! This tells me I can buy you really nice toys without being worried that you will just break them." "We have so much time leftover this morning, we can make some cookie dough together and I will fix them for after school!"

Role model your expectations by practicing them yourself.

Answer 2

You ever watched The Big Comfy Couch.Don't have it be a 10 second tidy.Make them have a hour where they clean up.I give my kids a day where it is clean up day.That's Fridays and I make a game of it.Who wants to be yelling all the time.They have fun and it gets the job done.Like who can do this the fastest and neatest gets this.I know it sounds crazy but I reward them.Sometimes thank you and great job goes a long way.Now I find them doing things without me asking.Like after I make food.My 13year old will do dishes,my 10year old will clear the table and my 3 year old will take a cloth and wipe the table(of course when he's not looking I do it over).Also making a chart on chores is good.Like Lisa clean room,Kevin take out garbage.We all work together.

Answer 3

How old are they ? If they are young you can "Trick" them into making cleaning up a game !! Make a chore chart for them and at the end of the week reward them for picking up,or a goal chart make them work for something by doing chores and at the end of the time period they get want they have worked for there are all kinds of different things to you to get them in gear !! If you have any more questions just ask !! I have 2 toddlers ages 3 and 4 I know all about this messy house stuff !!! good luck

Answer 4

I don't have kids, but I'm constantly cleaning up after my messy siblings. When I get mad enough, I just start throwing their stuff away. It's mean, but they never stop leaving their stuff on the floor.

Answer 5

get strict n tell them im training u for ur own good so u'll be disicpline n independent in the future also tell them that u'll not take them out until they know how to be behave and be organise..!explain the reason behind every action or else they would think ure being cruel n not loving,most of tell them what ure doing is because u care

Answer 6

Make a time table
Tell your old stories if you have good track record
Always keep a friendly relation
Tell him the importance of education
Give example of Dr. Abdul kalam
Lal Bahadur Shastri and othrs

Answer 7

you can create this kind of small and healthy competition between the kids, whoever picks up their toys neatly will gain points. after 3 days or a week, the one with the most points will get rewarded.

Answer 8

set an example for them- you yourself must me well organised to teach your kids what it is to be organised.

plus, be firm with them. tell them they ought to keep everything in place. dont tempt them with goodies as this might not be a healthy way to teach your kids. this is because they might do it for goodies rather than realising it is the right thing to do. moreover they would start expecting goodies in exchange for all things you ask them to do.

why dont you start asking them to do small things, like asking them to put their books in right place? tell them this will save time in searching for what they are looking for as well as spare them ruitine cleaning as things will be in place already.

also try 'persuassive' methods like not letting them watch TV until they clean up. once they get into the habit, you wont have to keep scolding them.

best of luck!!

Answer 9

pick up what they throw around , put in a box and lock away, when they ask where it is tell them you told them to pick it all up and if they wont then its thrown away and wont be replaced, they can earn their stuff back by starting to keep things straight right now.

Answer 10

lol, if you find out let me know!!

i have recently put a shoe box righ beside the front door, thats helping

and i got a bunch of cheap clothes baskets for them to toss their toys that they insist on playing with in the living room, and to put dirty cothes in in their bed rooms, stuff like that

i put a book shelf in each bedroom so they'd have a place to put the endless drawlings they do

but...the more rules i make the more rules they break...so your guess is as good as mine!