110 HAWAII PARENT March/April 2024 minutes a day, the first Sunday of every month, or before certain holidays. Once everything has been cleaned and the clutter is gone, it’s time to start organizing. Invest in simple organizational products - file folders for important papers, a to-do basket for items that need to be tackled right away, baskets or containers to store loose photographs and kids’ artwork, storage bins for out-of-season clothing, bulletin boards for homework, etc. These items don’t need to be expensive or fancy, and it is probably worth the initial investment if it helps save time and money in the long run. The old saying ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ is spot on when it comes to placing kids on the path to organization. Involve your children in establishing permanent homes for their personal items. It might be helpful to think in terms of work areas – clean clothes in the dresser and dirty clothes in the nearby hamper, art on the corner table by the supplies, books on the shelves next to the reading chair. If multiple kids share a bedroom, create specific spaces that are unique to each. Your clean and happy living space will be much easier to keep up with if each family member can make it a habit to return everything to its place once they are done with it. This may take some encouragement in the beginning but will pay off for everyone in the long run. Donna McMillan of Island Organizers, suggests, “Printed labels and/or pictures, for little ones, on containers and shelves will set them up for success. Kids are smart, and when taught – in their language – they can learn how to return their toys, papers, shoes and clothes to where they belong. Families are extremely pleased and excited when they can find what they need when they need it.” on as they get older and start testing boundaries. Most toddlers will even be excited to be given small tasks once they see an adult or older sibling doing them first. Whether deep cleaning or just tidying up, it’s important to focus on progress instead of perfection. For some parents, a few cleaning tasks spread throughout the week might be more productive than putting all your time and effort into one exhausting day of deep cleaning one room. For others, you might only have a few days a year to get all your deep cleaning done. Whatever the circumstance, try to manage your time wisely and prioritize areas that need the most attention (and always leave room for a beach day). Try to stick with a routine that works for your family, like 15 “It’s important to focus on progress instead of perfection.” Teaching your children how to do various household tasks not only increases their value of self-worth, but also teaches them to be independent and responsible.
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