Homeschooling is a full-time job. Make housework easier by enlisting your children in your home organization.

I don’t believe many people are born organized. I wasn’t. I had to learn it. Our job is to teach it to our children. Think of yourself as your child’s organizational consultant.

My children like to organize things when I work with them. They learn where things go and are more inclined to put them there when they see the method to the organization. They have learned to like order.

Once something is taught and reinforced it becomes habit. It takes time and patience and energy and thought to form habits; but proper habits can cut future workloads in half.

Organizing Tips by Room

Family and Dining Area

• I prefer most toys in the family room instead of bedrooms. It saves me from running upstairs to supervise clean-up time. If you prefer the bedroom, these tips work for the bedroom area.
• Use a large basket as a catch all for larger toys.
• Sort small toys in baskets and store baskets on shelves. (beg, borrow or build shelves–makes it much easier to organize if you have the tools.) Work together (this is key) to sort all toys in the appropriate baskets. GI Joes, blocks, legos, superhero action figures, farm animals, pretend food, etc. OK, many things end up in the large basket that should be in smaller baskets; at least they’re in a basket and off the floor.
• Sort toys weekly to get rid of trash. Salvage crayons and other things that get mixed in with toys.
• Read-aloud books go into baskets.
• Library books have a special basket. (They aren’t free when they are late).
• School books, Bibles, and Bible study aids are stored by topic on a book shelf next to our dining table. (Again beg, borrow or build shelves).

Kitchen

• If a child is tall enough to see in the silverware drawer he is old enough to sort and put away silverware.
• Messy plastic cabinet? Give the sorting job to a preschooler. Lids in one area, the rest sorted by size and shape.
• Older children can load a dishwasher neatly if taught right the first time.

Bedrooms

• Children’s rooms are usually small and/or shared. Decluttering is mandatory. Less is best.
• Get rid of worn, outgrown clothing.
• Store out-of-season clothing or clothing suitable for handing down.
• Teach children to deliver dirty clothing to the hamper daily. If dirty clothes aren’t placed in a hamper they are left around at random or shoved back into a drawer. Walk your child over to an item on the floor, hold his hand, pick up the item, put it into the hamper. Repeat as needed until learned.
• School age children are old enough to put away their clothes in the proper drawers and old enough to make sure clean clothes stay in the proper drawers, not rifled through or thrown on the floor.
• If toys and books are kept in the bedroom see family room tips.

Bathroom

• Divide bathroom storage into areas.

• Things used daily (toothbrushes, soap, curling iron, etc.) go on the counter or get primary drawer space.
• Weekly or monthly area for things like scrubbers, cleaners, hair bands, lotions, etc. These things go in the under-sink spaces, etc.
• Hardly-ever used things go in the back of cabinets or drawers. (Travel-size bottles for trips, for example.)

• Every one over the age of five should know where the extra tp is and how to put it on the dispenser. If not, teach them.
• Once a month straighten bathroom drawers and cabinets with the children.

Laundry

• Children can be responsible to bring hamper(s) to laundry area.
• My sons really like sorting darks, colors and towels.
• Our eight-year-old can start the wash and switch clothes to the dryer.
• Folding - not so much. I handle the folding. But they certainly can put away clothes in the proper drawers.

Share your organizational tips in the comments.

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