Spoonful of Sugar LLC - Spoonful of Sugar LLC

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Getting organized and staying organized can be a challenge at many stages of life. Children can present specific challenges to the order in your home. We can help you reclaim the adult spaces in your home, get the children's spaces under control, and help you get your children involved in maintaining the order in these spaces for themselves.

Spoonful of Sugar is partnering with Fairytale Threads to help you get organized this summer! Click here to find out more.

5 tips for making organization with children easier

1. Too much stuff can be overwhelming. Minimize the amount of things that the child can play with at any given time. If you aren’t prepared to part with any of your child’s toys, then try this trick: get a medium sized storage box and fill it with toys that your child has not played with in the last 2-4 weeks. Place the box on the top shelf of a closet where it is accessible by adults but not children. Then each week you can introduce a “new" toy or two from the box while putting another toy away.

2. Make time for picking up.When it is time to move on to the next activity, make sure to leave time to let your child pick up or help you to pick up. This is a great opportunity to reinforce responsibility. As early as 6 months, a child can begin to pick up an object and put it in a container. Don’t forget to shower them with praise when they help out. This models the behavior for the child and lets you spend time together while doing something you have to do anyway!

3. Make it fun.Start small such as a box or basket of small toys. Dump the objects out on the floor and toss them back into the container. Cheer and clap when you “make a basket”. Your little one will play this one for hours. For older children, set a timer for 2 minutes and challenge them to pick up as much as possible in one room. When the time is up, praise them for their hard work and stop for the day. Gradually, you can increase the time or set specific challenges.

4. Think of others.Encourage your child to engage in donation projects at your church, school or community center that involve collecting items for charity. Begin with any charitable giving that you already participate even if it does not mean that they give anything away. Then you can introduce the idea of giving to children in your community – a friend who is having a child, a neighbor, or a charitable organization the child is familiar with. By modeling a habit of giving and thinking of the needs of others, children find it easier to pass on clothing, toys, and furniture as they outgrow them.

5. Be an example. Children learn by example. When you always put objects away in the same place, children learn that the object has a “home”. Children can be comforted by routine and take pride in mastery of their environments.