Life Skills: Organization

While people often think of themselves as either organized or not, it is actually a life skill to be learned just like the laundry, cleaning, changing a tire or writing a check. If no one shows you how, you might never get the fundamentals.

As we spend more time at home, what a wonderful time to think about teaching life skills to our kids of all ages.

I have put together four MANAGEABLE projects to teach your children how to organize. I will release one each Friday so you have weekend time to tackle this with your kids. I have broken the skills down by age and given you step by step instructions so you can work with your younger kids or allow the older ones to get it done on their own.

Decide together what the reward can be for completing each task (I am thinking stickers, ice cream or screen time) but know the real reward is an organized future where your kids won’t have to suffer the frustration, waste or cost of being disorganized.

WEEK 1: PROJECT 1

2 – 5 years of age | Clothing Organization

Step 1: For each child individually, pull out all of their clothing from the closet, dresser, laundry and any other area where you store clothing for them. Don’t forget hand-me-down clothing coming from an older sibling.
Step 2: Have your child make a pile of each type of clothing – underwear, t-shirts, shorts, pants, skirts etc.
Step 3: Work together to check the size and fit of items. Have her fill a bag with anything that doesn’t fit and let her know that all those special clothes are going to another family who needs clothes (or to a younger sibling, in which case use a bin for each size not a bag.).
Step 4: Work with your child to define a home for each category of things. “Where do you want your shorts to live?” Ideally, there is a separate drawer or hanging spot for each category. If you need to segment more, try drawer dividers or shoe boxes (your child can decorate the boxes and draw on them what should go in them!
Step 5: Draw the labels. This can be a great time for them to match the words you write with the picture they drew.
Step 6: Now fold the clothing and place in each home. Bonus for using vertical folding to save space and be able to see everything at once. Each week, have your child help with putting away his or her laundry back to its home. As she gets older she can start to fold her own laundry too – a life skill for her future.

Life Skills:

1. Sorting
2. Decision making
3. Organization

K – 5th Grade | Clothing Organization

Step 1: Help your child pull out all of her clothing from the closet, dresser, laundry and any other area it is stored. Don’t forget hand-me-down clothing coming from an older sibling.
Step 2: Have your child make a pile of each type of clothing – underwear, t-shirts, shorts, pants, skirts etc.
Step 3: Ask her to check the size and see if they still fit and see if they love each item and are excited to wear it again (or have to because of school or church). Have them fill a bag with anything that doesn’t fit and let them know that all those special clothes are going to another family who needs them (or to their younger sibling, in which case use a bin for each size not a bag.).
Step 4: When she has chosen the clothes she loves and can wear, work with her to define a home for each category of things. “Where do you want your shorts to live?” Ideally, there is a separate drawer or hanging spot for each category. If you need to segment more, try drawer dividers or shoe boxes (your child can label the boxes with what should go in them!)
Step 5: Once each category has a home, write labels.
Step 6: Help your child to fold the clothing and place in each home. Bonus for using vertical folding to save space and be able to see everything at once. Each week, have her help with putting away her laundry back to its home. As she gets older she can start to fold her own laundry too, a life skill for her future.

Life Skills:

1. Sorting
2. Decision making
3. Organization

WEEK 2: PROJECT 2

2 – 5 years of age | Books

Step 1: Pull out all the books (appropriate for this child) from wherever they are kept in the home – bedroom, playroom, parent’s room, bathroom and bring to one central area.
Step 2: Have your child sort by type of book (board book, read myself books, hardcover, soft cover, really big books and chapter books)
Step 3: For each pile go through books one by one and ask your child if she loves the book, does she love the story, is she excited to read it again? If the answer to any of these questions is no, put the book in a box to be donated to the local library. Have your child fill up the box. If you find they love every book and don’t want to give any up (and you feel they aren’t reading or looking at all the books they have) set a goal for them. “We would really like to donate at least 10 books to the library. Not every child is as lucky as you with so many choices. Can you pick out 10 books that you think someone else could really love?” Younger kids especially are really great with a target! The actual amount is up to you and likely dependent upon how many “extra” books you feel she has.
Step 4: Place the books back on the shelves within the designated home for books. This can be back in multiple locations if that makes sense for your home and family use.

Life Skills:

1. Sorting
2. Decision making
3. Organization
4. Philanthropy

6th – 12th Grade | Books

Step 1: Pull out all of your books from wherever they are kept in the home and bring to one central area.
Step 2: Sort by type of book (Fiction, Non Fiction, Graphic Novels, text books, other specific to your needs)
Step 3: Once they are in piles, go through each pile one by one and see if you love the book, do you love the story, are you excited to read it again? Are you ever really going to read it? If the answer to any of these questions is no, you should put the book in a box to be donated to the local library. (If the book is a school book and you have younger siblings, you may want to pass it down to avoid having to purchase it again.)
Step 4: Place the books back on the shelves within the designated home for books. This can be back in multiple locations if that makes sense for your home and family use.

Life Skills:

1. Sorting
2. Decision making
3. Organization
4. Philanthropy

WEEK 3: PROJECT 3

2 – 5 years of age | Toys

Step 1: You may have toys in several rooms in the home and it’s important to gather all the toys that are age appropriate for this child. If you have more than one child in this age group, I would recommend doing it together for shared efforts and decision making.
Step 2: Once you have gathered all the toys, choose some categories to sort into. For example, dolls, games, action figures, art supplies, building materials, cars, legos etc. Some categories might need further refinement (ie dolls, barbies, American Girl, Disney Princesses) Step 3: Make a spot on the floor for each category. Have your child sort all of his toys into the categories. As you are helping, notice misplaced parts and pieces that can be reunited so games and toy sets are complete.
Step 4: Go through each category one by one and ask your child questions about what he wants to keep and what he wants to give to other kids who don’t have many toys. If you have multiples of something, ask which one he likes better. If he has many, many of something, ask him if he can donate a certain number or pick out his favorites for as many as can fit in a certain box or bin. He will naturally see things he hasn’t played with in ages. Some of these he will say can be donated, others he will find spark new excitement and interest.
Step 5: After you have decided what you will keep, you will need to determine a home for those items. It is OK to keep toys in separate places in the home if that is where toys are used. For example, all art supplies might go in the kitchen so they can be used while supervised. Dolls or stuffed animals might go in a bedroom for quiet play. The location just needs to make sense for your family and be known by everyone in the family so they can help when it is time for clean up.
Step 6: Have your child help put each category of item into its home and box up the items for donation. You can see if any of the following local charities need your support. Your child’s school, church, children’s hospital or domestic abuse shelter.
Step 7: Encourage your child to return toys to their home each time they finish playing.

Life Skills:

1. Sorting
2. Decision making
3. Organization
4. Philanthropy

5th Grade | Back Pack

If your child is like mine, there is a pretty good chance they came home from school (when they went or IF they are back now) and threw their backpack in their cubby and haven’t looked at it since. Maybe they removed the folder the teacher said to give to your parents!

Step 1: Ask your child to bring her backpack to the kitchen and empty its contents. Any food related items (yuck) can be tossed. Things like water bottles and lunch boxes can be washed and put away! Any other items should be categorized (i.e. pencils, markers, books, papers, notebooks, electronics, toys, etc.)
Step 2: Once the categories are sorted, your child can determine if they want all of what they have. For example, are the papers homework that is done, something they need to reference later or homework that needs to be done? Is there artwork they want to keep? Do they need that many pencils? For each category they should see what they need/want. Once they know what they are keeping, they can determine what should live in the backpack and what belongs somewhere else.
Step 3: For those things that are going to stay in the backpack, you may consider giving it an appropriate container. For example, a pouch for school supplies, a folder for homework or a binder for reference materials.

Life Skills:

1. Sorting
2. Decision making
3. Organization

6th – 12th Grade | Schoolwork (Back Pack)

Schoolwork is very similar to the organization of paperwork for adults. It is daunting because it tends to pile up very quickly as you create a lot of it daily and you may bring large quantities of it home from school regularly. It doesn’t have to be painful and getting rid of what you no longer need can make a huge impact on the amount of clutter you have in your room and study area. It will also keep you from losing assignments or being unable to find reference materials when you need them.

Step 1: Gather all of your paperwork to one location.
Step 2: Sort into these categories (categories can be adjusted to your specific needs):

  • Completed homework that I no longer need (recycling)
  • Completed homework I want to save for reference this year
  • Completed homework I want to save for memorabilia
  • Work that still needs to be done
  • Reference materials from other sources

      Step 3: Put the recycling materials in the recycle bin
      Step 4: Create a storage space for the homework you need to reference this year. Depending on the quantity, that could be a folder, binder or magazine rack.
      Step 5: Create a binder or bin for memorabilia that can be stored in the top shelf of your closet, under your bed or in another location that is out of the way.
      Step 6: Create a folder, binder or magazine rack for assignments on the to do list.
      Step 7: Add the reference materials from other sources to your reference spot. You should now have a manageable quantity of schoolwork and two storage spots at your desk or accessible workspace. One for work to be done and one for materials you need to reference. You may also have a memorabilia bin but that should be out of the way. Still finding your workspace a bit cluttered? We will tackle that in the next project!
      Step 8: The most important part is keeping your schoolwork from piling up again. Each time you empty your backpack, sort the materials into the same categories and put them immediately where they go. This should take about 5 minutes each time you do it.

      When you get older, move out and now have “paperwork”, you will manage it with exactly the same process and it will never pile up and get out of hand.

      WEEK 4: PROJECT 4

    • 2 – 5 years of age | Stuffed Animals

      My sons each have very different associations with stuffed animals. While my oldest has had only half a dozen in 8 years and has only been moderately needy of any one, my youngest was fully attached to his “giraffie” before he was two. I once had to orchestrate, from a London business trip no less, an urgent parking lot handoff of a second hand giraffie replacement from a local mom to his grandmother after the original was lost on a bike ride. (So thankful for a local Facebook mom’s groups that day!) Now, at 6, he has a bed full of stuffies and he is constantly ranking them in order of love and priority. Nothing in the top five is ever allowed to leave the house!

      Step 1: Gather all the stuffed animals your child considers to be his.
      Step 2: Ask your child which ones are the most special and why. This will be something special to share with your kiddo.
      Step 3: Allow them to let go of stuffed animals that don’t “Spark Joy”. (i.e. Happy meal stuffies, won three at a carnival stuffies, I just don’t remember stuffies)
      Step 4: Find the right method of storing the most special ones. Here are some of my favorite options depending on how many will be living with you.

      A few:

      Use an adorable basket.

      A dozen or more:

      Find the right sized laundry hamper.

      A few dozen:

      Create poof seating out of the stuffed animals.

      A small zoo:

      This specially designed stuffed animal habitat stores a lot of animals while allowing easy access.

      K – 5th Grade | Schoolwork

      Step 1: Whether it’s in their room, on the kitchen table or on the floor of the car, gather all the schoolwork together in one place.
      Step 2: Have your child go through each paper and put in one of three piles. 1. Recycle 2. Keep because I am still using it 3. Keep because it is memorabilia
      Step 3: Once complete, recycle the first pile, put the second pile in her memory bin and go through the pile of papers they are still using. Depending on the size of this pile you may want to place it in one folder of current schoolwork or place it in multiple folders by subject or other categorization that makes sense for your child.

      6th – 12th Grade | Desk

      In order to be most productive at your desk, you want to have all the tools and materials you use often at your fingertips. That means they shouldn’t be hidden within overflowing drawers or buried under a pile so you can’t see the surface of your desk.

      Step 1: Remove everything from your desk and sort into categories. The categories will depend on what you use and what work you are doing but typical ones might include pens, pencils, tools (Ruler, calculator, eraser etc), paper, notebooks etc. Each time you find multiples of a new type of thing, you can create a new category.
      Step 2: Remove categories that don’t belong on your desk. Perhaps you found some makeup or a few video games. This should be returned to the location where they should be kept (ie bathroom/vanity or gaming area)
      Step 3: Define homes for where each item is going to live and create structure to help really define the home. For shallow drawers you may need drawer dividers. These come in many different sizes so choose sizes that work for your items. You can even use boxes you already have like shoebox tops, apple product boxes or mom’s extra Tupperware (ask first). For deep drawers you might need bins with lids, tall bins or file folders depending on what you want to store there.
      Step 4: Place items in their newly defined homes and admire your work! In order to keep it looking like this just be sure to put items back into their homes after each use.

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