As a parent you have, no doubt, worked hard to teach your children
good manners, how to read and write, how to tie their shoes and all of
the basic life skills necessary to succeed in the world. But is there a
life skill you are overlooking? Are you teaching your children to be
organized? Proper organizational skills will greatly increase your
child's potential to succeed in life.
The best way to teach your children how to be organized is to lead by
example. If you are organized your children will naturally grow
accustomed to living in an organized environment and they will be more
likely to become organized adults. The best place to start is in your
own home. Be sure that you have a designated home for all of your
belongings and strive to keep things in their designated place when they
are not in use.
Now, pass this rule on to your children and their toys. The younger your
children are when you being training them to put their toys away, the
more successful this task will be. Start by putting their toys away for
them while they watch. As your children grow older have them help you
put the toys away. As they become able, require that they put the toys
away themselves. The goal is for this task to become second nature.
Putting things away is a basic foundation of organization.
Next, take the organization one step further by allowing them complete
control over their own bedroom . Putting them in control will increase
their pride and might even get them excited about organization. Keep in
mind, however, that what appears organized to a child may appear
completely disorganized to you. Be sure your child understands what you
expect the bedroom to look like but allow them the freedom to choose the
method they will use. A child's level of organization will naturally
increase as they grow older.
Teach your children time management as soon as they are old
enough to read a clock. Communicate with your child to be sure they know
what time you must leave the house and give them time warnings along the
way. Each time you provide a time warning ask your child to look at the
clock to make note of where the hands are. This visual aid will allow
your child to develop an understanding of the pace at which time moves
and make them aware of what can be accomplished in a certain amount of
time.
When your children start school you have another opportunity to
introduce organization into their lives. Help your child develop a
school routine and encourage them to become more independent and
responsible for their own assignments. Encourage your children to take
responsibility for tasks such as remembering their homework, packing
their school supplies and keeping track of special dates.
Use a family calendar and encourage your children to mark their
own dates on the calendar. Again, giving them ownership over their own
time will help to encourage their eagerness to track their own
schedules.
Creating a schedule will be helpful for your younger children to
become responsible for these school-related activities. If your child
knows that homework is done immediately following dinner each evening
they should be able to get their backpacks and get started without you
having to remind them. Routines are a great way to develop independence.
As your children grow older they should grow in independence as well and
their responsibilities should grow with them. Children who are taught
organization, time management and responsibility will have a much easier
time meeting the challenges of adult life.
Tips to Organize Life is the website that provides shortcuts, tips and
tricks to help you get things done faster and better.
Tips to Organize Life focuses on all aspects of life, including organzing your home, cooking, entertaining, money management, children, communication, gardening, planning for emergencies and more.
http://www.tips-to-organize-life.com
Dressing Girls For School
I have spoken to so many parents who tell me it is a monumental task to get
their younger daughters ready for school in the morning. Unless your daughter
has only one set of clothes to wear, she probably wants to change her outfit
three times before choosing the one she will "agree" to wear to school each day.
Here's how we solved the problem in our family...
3 Easy Ways To Make An Awesome Playroom
Are you irritated every time you walk past your kids playroom? Paper here, toys
there, the floor is strewn with stuff that you can't even guess what it is! Most
of us feel a whole lot better when things are organized. Is it natural to be
neat and tidy or is it a skill that must be learned? We'll let you worry about
that question but we'll give you a few simple ideas on how to make that playroom
fun again.
What should you expect at 6 weeks, 6 months or 1 year? We provide useful
milestones and developmental stages so that you can keep an eye on your
baby's development in the first year. Baby Stages
Ideas For Sharing Stories
With Children
This two-part article discusses the ways in which stories and
storytelling play an important role in children's lives. Techniques are
offered for using stories to help develop children's verbal skills and
imaginations. This is part one.
Who Owns The Problem; Parent or Child?
It is tempting for parents to assume ownership and responsibility for everything that goes on in the life of their child. However, when the parent jumps in too soon to solve the problem or give the answer, the child never learns to trust his own judgment and become a critical thinker.
Parenting - Making A Schedule This article on the benefits of scheduling your day as a parent
really struck home with me. It took me a while to work this out for
myself when I had young children at home, and I wish I had done so - and
benefited from the much calmer household that was the result - sooner!
