Helpful Tip Tuesday: Kids and Their Stuff

"Life Skills Checklist

*Do my children have too much clothing or too many toys or too many saved papers?

*Is the closet arranged so my child can hang up her own clothing? Are my child's drawers organized and not too crammed? If my child needs it, have I placed picture labels on the appropriate drawers? Do my children each have their own laundry basket?

*Do I have an organized place for out-of-season clothing, and do I regularly go through this storage area to keep it weeded out?

* Do we have a system for rotating toys so the children don't have too much out at one time? Do we periodically give away toys to someone who can use them? Do my children have a place for books and papers?

*Have we thought of a creative way to deal with items left lying around the house, like a confiscation box? 

*Does my older child understand why it is important to be organized? Has he spent time thinking about the best ways to organize his room and belongings? Do I regularly declutter with my child, helping him to sort and prioritize his possessions?"

~taken from Life Skills for Kids by Christine M. Fields, pg. 149