At Maryland Teacher Tutors, we know that it can feel nearly impossible to keep a home clean and organized when children are involved. Heck, it’s hard to keep a clean and organized home when children aren’t involved! Nevertheless, there are ways to maintain some order in your home—and there are definitely things that you can do in your home to create an environment that is conducive to learning. We partnered with Mary Cate Claudias from Charm City Organizers to leave you with some tips!
Purge or temporarily put away everything unnecessary
Once you get started, you’ll see how easy this becomes over time. Having less means less to clean up! Rotate toys, electronics, and books so only a few are out at a time. By purging your home from unnecessary things, your home becomes less cluttered, which helps to eliminate distractions when it’s time for reading or homework.
Create easy-to-maintain systems for you and your kids
Closet systems have come a long way, and if you have the space to create lower rails and drawers that they can reach, putting things away can involve them in a positive way. PS… it also means they can pull it out more easily, so supervision is essential here! Cube and bin storage for books, electronics, and toys are necessary. Away with the gigantic toy bin or box! You could even have cubes and bins specifically for educational resources, so your kids know exactly where to go when it’s time for learning!
Get them involved
Kids like to be part of things, and they should learn this valuable life skill early—it can be fun. Make a game or song out of it for younger kids. Who can put the most pieces away the fastest? Find everything red, find everything orange, etc. And don’t forget those positive rewards, people! For older kids, assigning chores is a fantastic idea. This involves them in the process of giving the home some order, which also encourages order in their school binders and class notebooks.
At the end of the day, a home free of clutter encourages a mind with fewer distractions. And a mind that has fewer distractions is a mind that can focus on studying, completing assignments, and being academically engaged. So, go forth and organize! Your child’s brain will thank you for it!
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Natalie Mangrum is the founder and CEO of Maryland Teacher Tutors. She is a reading specialist with a bachelors in elementary education and masters in education. As a parent to two young adults, and prior teacher, Natalie knows all too well the benefits of one-on-one tutoring and coaching for students. Her mission is to ensure that every aspect of MTT is done in a spirit of excellence! She enjoys alleviating the concerns of parents so they can breathe easy knowing their children are in good hands!