Organization… A Crucial Life Skill, Yet A Difficult One to Master

Summer vacation is rapidly drawing to a close and families around the country are preparing for a new school year and the many challenges it brings. While every child is different, organization can be a difficult skill to master. Lack of doing so may result in missing school assignments or misplaced technology, which can result in lower grades or disaffected learners. In an effort to help, here are some tips on how to organize a child’s bedroom so they can manage their space, personal belongings, and school work a little better.

1- Selecting the Right Furniture Makes All the Difference

Many of children’s furniture sets feature beds with bookcases or shelves incorporated into them, whether in the headboard or the stairs (as is common with bunk beds). This creates very useful and versatile spaces for the storage and organization of books, art supplies, technology, or just plain, old, ordinary socks. Many beds also have under-bed storage drawers available as an option, which, along with matching dressers, chests, and end tables, greatly increases the chances of the room remaining organized. Some loft bed designs even feature a desk beneath the bed itself, so projects, homework, and the like can be worked on in the relative quiet of their bedroom.

2- Prioritize Shelf Space

Until your child is tall enough to reach the tops of most furniture pieces, assigning certain belongings to a particular shelf is a great way to help organize the room without the fear of damage or loss of objects they should not touch. For example, a desk and hutch is perfect to store and display commonly used items such as toys or favorite books that should usually occupy lower shelf spaces, while breakable items, such as keepsakes, belong up high, safely out of harm’s way.

3- Labels Are Your Friend

Clearly labeling drawers, shelves, or storage bins can be a great way to teach the skill of organization to children of all ages. For younger children, use pictures of shoes, toys, etc. to portray what goes into a particular spot. Invite older children to create their own labels so they can take ownership of their room, keeping it organized and orderly. Utilize the age-old parenting trick of turning cleaning and organization into a game, making this chore seem less daunting. A certain purple dinosaur even sang a song about it... 

4- Messes = Learning

Though there are few things on Earth as painful as stepping on a Lego at midnight, numerous studies have shown that children learn by doing. The resulting messes and disorganization is just part of that process.

While we hope you find the aforementioned tips helpful, please remember that organization is a learned skill that will aid them throughout their lives. So, as a new school year begins, take solace in the realization that their rooms may never be as organized as you’d like, but hey, they’re learning, and that’s what matters!

#Child’s Room, #youth furniture