KIDS NEED ORGANIZATION SKILLS EARLY

By: Gary Weinberger, M.D.

The first week in October is national “Get-Organized Week.”  The best time to learn organization skills is during childhood.  In fact, even toddlers can learn important time management skills.

Good organization skills become even more important in today’s families, where both parents may work outside the home and children are involved in more extra-curricular activities than previous generations.  Effective time management allows today’s busy child to finish homework, attend ball practice, master the new musical instrument, and still find time to daydream.

Children learn organization abilities through observation.  Parents become the primary instructors of time management and organization skills.  Thus, parents need to begin early and set a good example for their children.

The following list offers some suggestions which may help you and your children to become more organized:

• Make children learn about time constraints and choose activities wisely. They may need to learn to choose the more important activity if schedules conflict.  Also, try not to burden a child with too many activities in the first place.

• Help children keep their room clean by providing appropriate supplies to keep their stuff organized. An organized room is a clean room.

• Remember that not all activities need to be organized.  Kids need time to just be kids!

•  Remember that your children will not become magically organized overnight. Time and patience are required in learning any new skill, and that time will provide worthwhile results in future years.

Good luck in developing a sense of organization in your house and in your children.  You can find motivation in the thought that many times the difference between successful and unsuccessful people is their ability to manage time.