How do you teach your child to be organized?

Question

My 2d grader is very unorganized. At school and at home. It's to the point that he forgets to bring his homework home and he hasn't grasped the idea of putting things away once he's done using thim

Answer 1

Some people are a lost cause, I'm half that way. My kitchen and bathrooms are generally very organized, my living room is now that my baby is crawling, but the bedrooms are disaster zones, FEMA would probably be interested in them!



Kids have to be taught how to be organized and it's something you have to work with constantly. It's something you have to have a system for. Places for everything, containers, organization has to be taught literally one thing at a time, from pencils to crayons in a box to backpacks. I take away my son's backpack periodically when I see that he's just shoving papers in it and he has to carry his papers in his hands.



I didn't grow up around organization, so I'm most comfortable in controlled chaos. You should try to set an example in some areas, start small. Have your son help with dishes, a simple chore where everything has a specific place. Every day have him do something to get organized. Get shelves, boxes, tubs, hooks, etc. and teach him step by step where things go. I'm just now starting to get myself organized, and I've got 5 kids to keep up after! Be an example and work WITH your child as you help clean and organize. And be prepared for a long haul, it takes much longer to unlearn a bad habit than to learn a good one from scratch!



Also, give him some space to be totally disorganized. A drawer in a dresser, a toybox, a plastic storage container, somewhere that he can just "dump" stuff of no importance. I know that helps me to have dump areas that I can just put stuff I don't know what to do with.

Answer 2

My 3rd grader is the oldest of 4, and has to be the most lazy, unorganized one.Hope you have a lot of hair left to pull out before he gets the hang of it. Keeping things simple, and having large containers to put them in helps a lot. I gave each child their own milk crate to put their shoes in, and a hook for each jacket and backpack. By having a easily accessable spot for everything, the items wind up where I want them to more often, and where the child can find them later. I put their toys in laundry baskets in the living room, and the books are kept in the living room too. They are a limited in the amount they can carry into their room at a time. If the toys are where YOU have to look at them if they aren't put away, you are more likely to make them pick up more often. Also avoid giving them toys w/ tons of little parts, or you will find the little parts hidden everywhere, and they won't. Go through the toys every couple of months or so, to weed out anything they don't use, or that's broken or incomplete. And unless you enjoy the little things laying around, make it a rule that the crayons, games, arts and crafts stay at the table. Also, have them pick up several times a day, rather than waiting until the mess is overwhelming for both of you.With a little work on your part, you can make clean up much less frustrating for both of you..... Now, if I could get my daughter to stop emptying her backpack all over the floor when she gets home....

Answer 3

for the homework,i would let him live with consequence,u did not turn in homework,incomplete,or whatever teacher does. try bying him a special folder,he picked out,everything teacher gives him to bring home,he puts in folder,maybe teacher will let him keep on top his desk 4 a few days to get used to routine. as for toys,dont allow new activity until old activity picked up,for ex.he was playing with cars but now wants to color.put cars away 1st,then get coloring supplies and so forth.for my son,i put special shelf in living room,before we go to bed,on that shelf is school uniform,shoes,all that needs to go in backback,i always double check to see if i missed signing anything or missed a page of homework. i have 1 son so small shelf works nice,if u have more than 1 child a lg bookshelf w/names on each shelf. this give us extra time in am for play,sleeping in,however we choose to use it

Answer 4

This is what I do. Example: Rooms, I will claen it once tell them this is the way I want it. If something is out of place I take it give it to other children that would appreciate it (shelter, salvastion army) Rooms have been cleaned ever since. Give it a try.

Answer 5

It isn't easy to teach a child how to be organized as they seem to think that they already are no matter how they keep things. The best thing to do is to let them do things theirselves. Let them discover the concequences of what happens when they don't keep things neat. Soon they will be tired of having to do it over and over and do it right the first time.

Answer 6

Take it away. Permanently. He doesnt put a toy away. Take it away. Make it disappear somewhere for months. Once he has no toys he will learn & it should follow into school as well.

Answer 7

does he have a learning disability? you might have the school check for that if he hasn't already been tested. But the parents must agree to the testing in order for it to proceed.

Answer 8

It start with you, children observe and copy you. When he play with his toys and not put it away, throw it in the trash. He will learn to put it away next time.

Answer 9

through example, for a child color code everything and make it a game

Answer 10

organization is a subset of common sense - it cannot be taught, but can be encouraged

Answer 11

being organized is something that can not be taught