The Benefits of Organization for Children

As a parent, we know that teaching children the importance of being organized is key to their success. By understanding the benefits of organization for kids and employing some creative tactics, we can encourage our kids to develop this important skill set early on in life!

As parents, we are always looking for ways to help our children succeed. We want them to be happy and to have all the opportunities that we have had.

Part of giving your child a head start in life is teaching them the importance of organization. Being organized has benefits that go far beyond straightening up their bedroom; it can help your child in school, it can help them socially, and it can help them with their self-esteem.

One of the main benefits of teaching your child to be organized is that it will help them in school. A recent study by the National Association of College Admission Counseling found that students who maintain organized bedrooms and desks tend to get better grades than their less tidy counterparts. In addition, teachers have also reported that organized students can focus more in class and are better prepared for tests and other assignments.

As a teacher, I can confirm that organized students are better students.  In my podcast episode five, I talk about persistence and how it helps us stay organized, remain optimistic, and helps us to succeed through hard times.  Being persistent helps students to perform and produce the results they want, being able to stay focused, adapt, and adjust helps them to be successful.  It is also about developing discipline and habit.  Discipline will help your child stay on course and create a habit.  

We also have to remember every day that kids are learning and observing adults constantly. They are imitating everything you do, you must make sure to display the behavior you want them to duplicate.  Pay close attention to your habits and see if any of these are things you are unconsciously modeling for your kids.  Take measures to correct ones you don’t want them to model and start new organizational habits.

Show kids how to set a schedule, leading to good habits.  While teaching students in the classroom and before having my own children, I soon learned that children love a routine and if you think about it, the world constantly revolves around a schedule; Morning, noon, evening, night, we even have the year broken down into spring, summer, fall, and winter. We all have to schedule around a 24-hour day, 365 days a year, no more, no less.  We can’t create more time than what is in our 24-hour day.

This is important for kids to learn this at an early age to be successful in their education as well as other areas of life.  Help them become aware of time. When looking at tasks, break them down into sections and smaller units and plan them out for the week.  Whether it is homework or getting ready for school the next day with a backpack, supplies, homework, clothing, lunch, etc.  Show them that time is being allocated before bed for the next day’s activities and routines.  Be sure to schedule the amount of time a child needs for sleep to be productive the next day and make them aware that we all need to schedule this time for rest.

Break down the day to show them time for extracurricular activities and family events.  It helps to know what needs to be done, so define priorities and discuss the main areas of importance.  Help them to know that a schedule can be made to give them time to focus on important tasks to be accomplished. 

Now, Break down these schedules into checklists. Each evening the kids are home from school, write down YOUR checklist with your child.  You can put this checklist in a family area for everyone to be accountable and for children to see how YOU are staying organized and how it helps you to be more successful.  It is difficult for children to model good organizational habits if you are not providing the right example.

Finally, teaching your child to be organized can help boost their self-esteem. A cluttered room can make a child feel overwhelmed and stressed, but an organized space can give them a sense of calm and control. When everything has its own place, it’s easier to find what you need and to keep track of things. This leads to a feeling of accomplishment and pride, which are important for healthy development and success for later in life when they have even more demands on their time.  

So, we have all heard about the “seven habits of highly successful people” and how they make their beds, but even other studies have been done, that report people making their beds, boosts happiness and confidence and they can accomplish important daily tasks.  Your kids may not be impressed with all of the research, but do what you can to encourage making their bed in the mornings before eating breakfast.  Children who possess self-esteem have the confidence to try new things.  They are more likely to feel proud of themselves for what they have accomplished, and it helps them cope with mistakes. 

Self-esteem develops slowly over time and starts when a child feels safe and loved.  It starts with having positive attention.  When young children can do small tasks by themselves, they feel good about themselves, and this grows as they get older.  You as parents can help children learn to do things themselves but be sure to step back and let them complete the task independently.  The same with organization; be a good role model.  When you work hard every day at organizational tasks in your home, you’re setting a good example.  Your child learns to put effort and hard work into homework, cleaning up toys, or making that bed.  We also must model the best attitude when completing organizational tasks.  When we complete a task without complaining, avoid rushing through chores, and take pride in a job well done, we are showing children and modeling this behavior. 

To recap:

One of the main benefits of your child being organized is better grades

We discussed that kids are learning and observing adults constantly, so YOU must display the behavior you want them to have.

The next point we discussed is to help your child become aware of time.  Breaking down tasks into sections and then smaller units and then checklists

And lastly, teaching your child to be organized can help boost their self-esteem and help them feel they are in control

Organization isn’t just about straightening items up; it’s about setting yourself up for success. By teaching your child the importance of being organized, you’re giving them the tools they need to excel in school, manage their time wisely, and boost their self-esteem. Encourage self-esteem by providing love and positive attention to help them feel appreciated, remember, this will make your child feel like they are competent and deserving of remarkable things. So don’t wait – start teaching your children the benefits of being organized today!