Teaching young children basic organizing skills and giving them the tools they will use for the rest of their lives is what parents can do early on.
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When it comes to kids and organizing, it is all about color, fun, structure and allowing them to be a part of the decision making on what they are working on, whether it is setting up their clothes in their room or the toys and books they have. Remember, their room is the first place they call their own, so allow them to take care of it. This is their first “space.”

When it comes to small children, we can’t expect them to be like us and have everything in its place, right? Or can we?

Teaching them some basic organizing and giving them the tools they will use for the rest of their lives is what we can do early on.

Here are my top eight suggestions:

First, get down on your knees when decorating or organizing a kid’s space — see the space from their view.

Organize like you were in a kindergarten classroom: Label, label, label and color code as well as create “zones” such as a book corner, a block corner, a doll corner and a homework area.

Let the kids help when it comes to decorating their spaces — picking colors or storage bins, boxes, and labeling them.

Think out of the box (literally) when it comes to storage. Put crayons in clear containers for easy reach and clear vision, books on a bookshelf at their level. Like goes with like — socks with socks, shirts with shirts, shoes with shoes and so on, as long as they are putting things with like items, I wouldn’t worry about much more than that when they are young.

Create “drop zones” for easy grab and go and easy return. Create a drop zone for school bags, shoes, coats, etc. Routine is the key and they will know exactly where they left their stuff.

For each child, create a file bin. I like to label the folders by year and put the child’s class photo on the front for that year. In the folder, you may want to keep artwork, reports or papers. Keep these papers to a minimum and have your child select which to keep and which you can get rid of.

Raising successful kids begins with us. Give them the tools to work and grow with. Make it cheerful, make it easy and make it fun.

I was taught early on with my own kids to “pick your battles.” Is it more important that they learn to clean up, or do they need to be perfect while cleaning up? For me, as long as the job gets done, who cares how?

One thing I know for sure is that our kids are watching us. How we handle situations, how we take care of our things, how we respect our spaces and how the spaces are kept. I remember growing up and my own mom was a bit of a shopaholic, and also didn’t keep her papers too organized, paid some bills late and couldn’t find the important papers when she needed them. I do believe this may have shaped who I grew to be, what I do for a living, how I view “stuff” that I buy and keep and how those things are kept. I learned to respect and value the things I spend my money on, and the spaces I keep my belongings in.

Kids are great when you give them the room to think for themselves. They come up with really creative ideas.

I remember a few years back, I had given an after-school organizing program at a Staten Island college for kids ages 9 to 13. I had them do an exercise with socks, taking all different colors and types of socks and having them come up to the three bins I brought with me. I watched the kids organize them; there was no wrong way. Some kids did it by the type of sport. Some organized the socks by color, stripes or solids. I found it so interesting to watch them think about this task. Kids are great when you give them the room to think for themselves. They come up with really creative ideas.

Just like we teach our kids early on about numbers and colors and shapes, when it comes to raising successful kids, I do believe they need encouragement to think on their own; to come up with creative ways to handle their stuff; and guidance in organizing their toys, papers, clothing, shoes, sports equipment and money. Teach them early and teach them often how important it is to be organized. Hand them calendars, planners, a journal and a bank book early on in life.

Raising successful kids begins with us. Give them the tools to work and grow with. Make it cheerful, make it easy and make it fun.

Happy organizing!

Lisa Gessert is a professional organizer and a proud member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO). A speaker, blogger and writer, she lives in Monroe Township and may be reached at LisaGessert@gmail.com.   

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2023 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.