Kids and Clutter
Tackling your own clutter can be daunting but teaching your children to be organized is a challenge in and of itself. Just like other life stills organization habits must be taught and modeled. This can start at a very young age. Allowing your children to help with household chores and included them in the management of the home is important it gives them ownership of their role in the family.
Be sure that the tasks you choose are age appropriate and make it fun. For most children, you can turn anything into a game. Sing a song while picking up toys. It can be anything goofy that you make up. Have a scavenger hunt. Send each child on a mission to ‘find’ all the blocks, doll’s clothes, balls, etc. Time cleanup and see if your child can beat his best time.
Look for stories that show the characters engaging in the activities you would like to teach your child. For instance:
TV Shows
Berenstain Bears: ‘Think of Those in Need’
Brother and Sister donate their extra games, puzzles and books to the Home for Retired Bears. Age: preschool
Books
Keeping House
by Margaret Mahy (Author), Wendy Smith (Illustrator)
ISBN:0689505159
Lizzie Firkin, a songwriter, lives in a decaying old house with her cat and parrot, and spends her nights performing in a nightclub. When the exhausted Lizzie can no longer pick up after herself–and can’t walk across the room for clutter–she calls on the services of Robin Puckertucker, a professional housecleaner with a dynamic reputation. Lizzie notices her cat asleep in the breadbox and, worried that the housekeeper will think she is too sloppy, begins to tidy up. By the time Robin arrives, he is dismayed to find that Lizzie’s house looks very neat. Noting one idiosyncrasy–all of the cupboard doors are nailed shut–Robin toys with a nail, and is soon buried in an avalanche of debris. Mahy’s eccentric story-telling style and Smith’s ramblingly explicit drawings are a perfect match. The characterization of Lizzie as a slovenly young woman in the grip of artistic compulsion is wonderfully complete, and the looks she gets from her two pets are priceless. Ages 5-9.
