Children need to be taught to put things away and to avoid collecting things unnecessarily. It can seem harsh but these are important skills that they will use throughout life, starting at a reputable facility for early learning Chatswood right through to old age.
Decluttering is more than just putting things away. It’s an opportunity to evaluate what is really needed and help children to focus on what is important. A clutter-free environment can reduce stress and ensure children are focused on what is really important.
The good news is that it is easier than you may think to get your child involved in decluttering.
- Show Them By Example
Children are great at mimicking adults and this can be used to help them declutter. All you have to do is declutter the space yourself regularly, making sure your children see you doing it. It’s not necessary to tell them about what you are doing, their brains soak up information when they are young, they will notice.
- Keep their Environment Tidy
To encourage a declutter zone create an organized environment for your children. If they are used to finding everything in the right place they will quickly learn to return things to the right place as this ensures they are there next time they need to use them.
The trick to successfully doing this is not clearing up after them. They need to learn to put things away themselves if they want to know where to find them in the future.
- Encourage Appreciation
Your children need to learn to appreciate the items in their room. You can encourage them by thanking them for doing things, such as hanging their clothes up. Providing you have given your child furniture that matches their size they should be encouraged to try hanging things up themselves and keeping their space tidy. You may be surprised at how quickly they take to the idea.
- Tidy last
Children can be easily distracted and this is especially true if they are hungry or thirsty. Therefore, before you engage in decluttering exercises, make sure your child has been fed and given something to drink. This reduces their ability to be distracted and encourages the decluttering to be successful.
Of course, there will always be deviations from your plans and you need to expect them and embrace them.
- Reward Them
Children love to win prizes and that doesn’t mean you have to give them lots of sweets. You can create a point system that encourages them to declutter and complete other chores. Once they have finished decluttering they get the allocated points.
When they have enough points they can exchange them for specific prizes. It can be beneficial to let your child pick the prizes with you. That will ensure they are committed to winning them.
These tips will help your child develop a habit of decluttering which means they will simply do it when they are older.
