How do I  keep my house tidy and clutter free with children around? A very common question..

Homeschooling and working from home has put even the most organised amongst you under serious challenge.

Let’s remind ourselves we are not perfect and that is absolutely OK to be that way. What we can try though is to make our life easier when at home.

Decluttering is a great way to simplify our lives, and teaching children how to be tidy by giving them a good example  is certainly worth trying.

When children keep their room tidy they are learning to take responsibility for their possession and respect and value what they have. Experts also believe that when children do things for themselves it helps to build independence  and self-esteem. It’s a win-win opportunity :-)

While children are still at home why not take advantage of this and perhaps celebrate  it as an extra-curricular  activity? 

There are some books out there  which are great for primary school children, one in particular ‘Kiki and Jax’ written by  declutter guru Marie Kondo  herself  but also ‘The Dinosaur that pooped the bed’ by Tom Fletcher, ‘The Clutter Monster’ by Sally Walford and ‘A squash and a squeeze’ by Julia Donaldson.

These books are great for introducing children to be tidy and look after their belongings.

Here are a few tips on how to get started:

A good way to start  tidying  up your children room is to DECLUTTER WITH THEM: the less you have the easier it is to put things back. Have a good sort out with them and involve them in the process. 

For kids to tidy up they need to learn how to do it:

SET A GOOD EXAMPLE and TEACH YOUR KIDS HOW TO CARE FOR THEIR THINGS : Even if your life is busy  you need to demonstrate what your expectations are and being consistent in how you care for your things. You will need to show them more than once in order for them to learn what you expect and to master the art of doing it, especially if they are younger.

ADD THE FUN FACTOR: make tidying up a fun activity not a chore, make it a challenge,  draw a map of the room, make it a treasure hunt, ask your children to make labels to use,  perhaps give them a paper with clear instruction as to what to look for and where to store it.

Give them SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS and show them how and where to store their different  clothes,  books and toys in designated spaces.  To help them in this make sure you MAXIMISE the space in their wardrobe so they can easily identify what they need and where it should be put back. ENABLE EASY ACCESS by putting a lower bar in their wardrobe in order to have  things within their reach. ORGANISE their toys in a SMART way , in clear or opaque containers  where possible and labelled with pictures.

USE THE PICKUP RULE: From a young age, teach your child to pick up after themselves before getting the next thing out. Keep persevering as this simple concept will prove to be priceless.

DON’T PERSUADE THEM TO CHANGE THEIR MIND once they’ve decided to part from something. You can always get the item back at a later stage and place it in a keepsake box if particularly emotionally valuable to you.

Lastly, but most importantly,  REWARD THEM: decluttering  and organising can be an overwhelming task for us  adults. It needs time, commitment and motivation. It is important to  reward them for the good work; they will get the encouragement and motivation they deserve and the support they need.

Try  to remember however  that at the end of the day  kids will be kids.  It is a learning curve. It is important to keep that in mind and not raise our expectation too high.  While we as adults  can see the rationale behind  tidying and organising with children the process  will indeed require some adjustment but rest assured that every little step forward will prove to be an extremely valuable for the whole family.