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In the News - February 2008
Kids can be good organizers
MURFREESBORO, Ark. - Kids from the same family are going to be different when
it comes to organizational skills. One child may be a real neat freak while the
other is on the other end of the spectrum.
"Parents need to model somewhat of an organizing behavior to even toddlers,"
says Robbie McKinnon, Pike County extension agent with the University of
Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
"Age 2 or 3 is not too early for a chore chart," she says. "Start with just
one or two chores, and then add responsibility as your child is ready."
She offers the following tips to help your children develop great
organizational habits:
- Be consistent. Keep your organizational strategies consistent
with children from as early as age 2. From 5 to 8, then from 9 to
12, you can modify your strategies for getting kids organized.
- Keep it simple. Your preschooler may love to "play house" with
a broom and dustpan or sorting colored play items into buckets.
Scooping, stacking, wiping and matching are all developmental skills
you can further develop into a lifetime of good organizing habits.
- Keep a clean plastic dustpan handy. The dustpan can be used to
scoop up small toys from the floor. Try setting an egg timer for
five minutes, while your child tries to pick up before the bell
rings. Your child should love this game, and after he/she finishes,
help them sort through their stuff to organize it.
- Let the dusting began! Dusting is a good job for toddlers. Try
putting old socks on their hands so they can dust molding, table
legs and chair legs while you are dusting tables, shelves and
breakable items.
- Give children jobs they like to do. They may like helping you
put wet clothes in the dryer. Many love to toss that wet item into
the dryer basket.
- Help children to establish zones for their activities. For
example, art projects are done at the corner table with all art
supplies organized nearby. Reading might take place on the bed, so
books are kept on a shelf nearby. Establish limits for how much
stuff is in the room.
- Give them a place to keep items valuable to them such as a test
paper or a card from their grandparents. Let them deem what is
important enough to keep. They will be making more decisions, but
they also will learn there’s still a time to play, a time to clean
up, a time to watch TV and a time to do homework.
- Help them establish their own routine. Between ages nine and
twelve, your children can help with their own laundry. Help them to
organize their dirty clothes in a way that they can get them to the
laundry area. Let them help you shop for items that will help them
get organized.
- Don’t get yourself in a dither about your child’s room. Stop
screaming at your child to clean the room. Just ask your child, "What do you want from your room?" See if, together, you can make
the room a great stepping off point for their life.
For more information on child development or parenting, contact your county
extension agent or visit www.uaex.edu and select
"Families
& Consumers." The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division
of Agriculture.
February 1, 2008
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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