Time to Organize

Is your craft bin getting the best of you?

Are the markers, scissors, beads, papers, glue, fusion beads, craft sticks, crayons, stickers, stamps, and McDonald’s toys getting OUT OF CONTROL?

The time has come to teach your children the life-skill of organizing:

1. Present the problem. “We are going to get new craft things for Christmas, and we need a place to put them.”
2. Make it a challenge and chance to spend time together. 
3. Ask you child to make decisions “What do I do with this?”  
4. Model organization.
5. If children struggle with organizing and the job is overwhelming, give specific jobs to do.
   For example, my daughter organized the crayons. She found all of the crayons in all of the drawers, made a to-go bag to take places, a bag to keep in the drawer and a bag to make into candles.
6. What can you use to sort things?
   Sandwich bags, snack bags, little jars, pencil bags, organizers you buy in the store or build from cardboard.
7. Make a give-away bag and a garbage bag.
8. When you get frustrated or tired, save the rest for another day. 

What other ways can I teach my children organization?

• Model organization by using shopping lists, to-do lists, and calendars.
• Give your children calendars. Highlights makes a fun kids’ picture-find calendar with stickers for special days.
• Make lists with the kids on paper of what they want to do for the day. Check off things on the list as you do them.
• Review the lunch menu for school every day to see if your kids want to take a lunch or not.
• When students start having homework calendars for school, make sure things are written down and checked off as students complete tasks. This seems obvious, but many students struggle with this undertaking.

Another article to view: 10 Ways to Organize Your Children

Ask Your Child’s Teacher

If you think you are the only one who wants your child to succeed, guess again. Your teacher, your school principal, and the state in which you live have a vested interest in the success of your child.

Do not be embarrassed if you don’t know how to do your child’s homework (even if it is 1^st  Grade). Other parents don’t know how to do it either! So be your child’s advocate and an advocate for all of those afraid to ask.

 

Over the last 20-30 years, the philosophy of teaching has changed,

• the funding of school has changed, 
• school leadership has changed,
• school accountability has changed,
• and teacher’s average knowledge and ability has changed significantly!

Also, if your child is having learning difficulties, teachers can share strategies they are teaching at school. You can reinforce these. Teachers have a life-long collection of helpful learning tools and suggestions.

Your child’s teacher has so many ideas, so much pressure, and so little time to teach what they have to teach!

More advice for parents, including free printables. At www.teachervision website.