Get Organized By Creating a Place for Every Little Thing You Need
Back to School Tips Contest for Disney on Ice Tickets!
Kids are just getting back to school and this is the perfect time for parents and children alike to get organized. We at Chaos to Order know that when kids have a sense of order, they are more likely to be successful students. If you have a child between the ages of 5 and 15, have them tell us what they do to be more organized in school. It can be related to desk and locker organization, or about time and how they plan their day. We will then pick a winner, based on the usefulness and creativity of the organizing tip. The winner will receive free tickets to Disney on Ice at the United Center on September 8, 2009. Please send your tips and contact information to info@chaostoorder.com by Friday, September 4, 2009. Let’s hear those organizing tips!
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My daughter is 7 and is in second grade. She loves being neat and organized. A tip that we have is that we created a binder for her that has her daily tasks listed. We review this list each evening to prepare her for the next day. We also review all the things that might be needed to have a great day at school, such as backpack, lunch, homework, etc. Checked off and ready to go with a smile.
I have a fourth grader and a 7th grader and the best thing for homework is doing it right after school. I let them have a snack and then they do homework and afterwards, they can relax.
As far as for lunches and what they are wearing the next day, I find getting everything ready the night before works best for us. It makes for a non stress morning!
I love the saying, "One day at a time." It has been the fuel for life for so many wonderful
organizations including, AA and Al-Anon. Not only do our desks and homes get cluttered
but our minds can get cluttered as well, leaving us over- whelemed to ever get started. If
I could give my best advice on organizing it would be, to have a "One day at a time mentality."
Agree to do one thing today to get your life better organized, whether it be buying some containers/baskets or folders or separating some mail. Remember that having too high of goals or trying to tackle a big job
can leave you feeling frustrated and defeated.
Karin
I always had a hard time switching over my calendar in December. Invariably, I would loose schedules, or Spring Teacher Conference dates, etc. for the following year. Now, I find that an 'Academic Calendar' helps keep me organized for the entire school year. This way my yearly calendar (which will begin in August '09 and go to August '10) coordinates with my kids school and activities.
On Sunday I spend a few minutes looking at the calendar with my son. This gives us a reminder of what activities have been planned for the week, who is driving where, what equipment/uniforms need to be ready, when he can schedule homework (at least 1/2hr), and what days are best to have friends over. He is required to write in his assignment book everyday, or there is no screen time.
My best mom tip is to buy 2 or 3 of the items on your child's supply list. You know they are going to run out of markers, crayons, pencils, erasers etc. Right now all of that stuff is on sale. You will appreciate it when your child tells you that he/she needs to bring markers to school today. Instead of running out to Walgreens to spend $4.00 for a box of markers, you will have the ones that you bought for $1.00 ready to roll
Getting ready for school has been a struggle in the past because after laundry was done it didn't always make it upstairs into the kids closets and drawers. This meant they had to run down to the laundry room in the basement to find their favorite clothes.We solved this problem with two simple changes:
First, we bought a brightly colored organizer box for each family member and labeled them with our names. Now, when clothes are folded they go right into those boxes. The boxes are small enough for the kids to easily carry their clothes upstairs (as opposed to the large laundry baskets), and they return to the laundry table when they're empty.
Second, we made dividers with their names for the hanging clothes, so now when clothes are hung up they are all sorted by family member, and they're easier for the kids to grab and take to their rooms.
These small changes have empowered the kids to be more in-control and responsible with their laundry, and it's made Mom's life easier too. No more scrambling for clothes in the morning means getting to school without rushing, making our mornings happier!
-Julie
With all the paperwork my 3 kids come home with every day..I make a point to clean out their folders as soon as they get home. I recycle the papers that I don't want, I take care of the items I need to, ie: permission slips and I post any papers that pertain to each child in their own "section" of a very large bulletin board in my office. That way I can see by child- what is coming up or needed for them. That way, it's all taken care of right away… I remember you telling me Monica "touch a paper once…" and I still practice that!