How to motivate your young children to organize now? I’ve been asked this question recently at my AMA (Ask Me Anything) event. I really wanted to say so much more and thought why not just write a post about it since I am sure there is many out there wonder the same question. As a person who seems to never be without a child in the home knows this from first hand. I have been motivating my younger siblings to be organized for as long as I can remember. Now, having my own child I only find myself continuing on this same mission all over again. Kids and organizing are not always easy it takes work.
Here are a few suggestions to that you can start doing right now that will get your little one more organize.
Declutter
Toys are number one. It tends to be everywhere. Even more so when you have way too many toys. If you really want your kids to clean up with no hassle then don’t have too many toys. Kids love having many toys out but when it comes to cleaning up, they get overwhelmed seeing an ocean of toys on the floor. So declutter! It makes clean up easier. Be sure to keep up with decluttering by clearing out old toys he/she doesn’t play with anymore. Consider a trick of when you buy your child a new toy, have them donate an old toy to a store or a friend.
Visualization
Young kids are visual because depending on their age, they can’t read or they are just beginning. So have designated bins for barbies, cars, blocks and stuff animals with a picture on top so your child knows where each one goes helps. There are so many cool ways to create this into your home. Since we live in a small home with different ages, we organize our bins without any visual aids. However, we use the same concept with it being visual by using clear bins or open storage. For an example, my younger brother has a bin that is just for legos while my little sister has a barbie organizer.
Make It Fun
Make it fun when its clean up time! Kids don’t like the word clean up but when you make it fun it brings a whole new atmosphere. try making a challenge such as a race. On your marks, get set and go! Let’s see can clean up the toys the fastest. You will for sure get some giggles for that. Have fun music on and dance your way through it. I know that I am not a child however when it comes to cleaning, it is a must to have music on. It really helps make cleaning feel less like a drag and more like a fun time. My siblings never complain when there is music on, in fact, they have smiles and things get done more easily. Put a small list of songs together that your little one will love or decide together.
Incentive
Another option you can consider is an incentive for after clean up. Some ideas that are great incentives to keep your young ones organized is a desert of their choice when they are done or story or TV time. You could also include creating a chart or jar where your little one’s goal is to collect as many gems or stickers in order to receive a monthly/weekly incentive. That can include a new toy or book or an outing to a movie at the end of the week.
Motivating young children to organize takes a little time and patience. There will be good days and bad days but what matters most is that you stick to the plan. Declutter and use visual aids on bins so that your child knows where to put each toy or items. Also, make the organizing fun by having some fun kids music on then reward with an incentive. By try these suggestions, it has helped my family and still is. I hope this helps you out as well!
