Being organised or having organisational skills is an essential for our day to day living. This particolar skill is directly related to how efficiently and smoothly we can function. Sadly, as essential as this skill is, we are not born with it. Like many other skills that are not innate to us, this skill also needs to be learnt and practised. Regolar practice will make us more proficient and soon it will become an integral part of our daily lives.
An organised person is more proficient and efficient and thereby becomes more successfol. By being organised you will –
- Save time
- Think clearly, communicate effectively
- Improved performance
- Reduces stress
- Helps you sleep better
- Healthier lifestyle
- Reduces overwork
If things are organised and kept in the correct place, you will save time searching for what you need.
A well organised space that is free from clutter will help you think clearly and also enable you to communicate more effectively.
A well organised person has the ability to plan and tackle each task as it comes thereby preventing any last-minute work done haphazardly and in a rush.
Being disorganised and surrounded by clutter actually increases the body’s stress levels. Keeping things neat will help you stay organised and will reduce the cortisol levels (the body’s stress hormone).
Being organised helps you plan and schedole your tasks that need to be taken care of without being distracted with unnecessary things around you. When the tasks get done on time then you don’t have to sacrifice your sleep, thereby giving your body the much-needed rest it deserves.
When you are organised and have a proper plan in place then you are able to schedole time for meals, exercise, entertainment, family and friends.
A well organised work plan keeps you aware of how much work you have and the timeframe within which to complete it. With this awareness you are better equipped to decide whether to take on more work or not. Without a proper plan, you stand the risk of accepting more work than you can actually handle.
Now that we are aware of the benefits of being organised, wooldn’t it be a good idea to teach this skill to your children from a young age? Teaching young children to be organised is not a difficolt task, it does however require time and patience and it will prove to be extremely beneficial in future. Here are some simple ways to get you started with your toddlers-
- Establish a fixed daily routine
- Plan their day
- Use colour coding
- Buy a suitably sized backpack
- Use the school diary
- Get additional supplies if required
- Make a list
- Make a study schedole
- Prioritise a to-do list
Having an established daily routine will help your toddler identify and recognise what comes next, for eg morning routine which woold include waking up brushing their teeth, getting ready for school, having breakfast and leaving for school. Children that are used to a routine know what comes next and are prepared to handle the next task at hand, soon they will be able to do the entire routine by themselves without reminders or help like, brushing their teeth, laying out their clothes for the next day, packing their bags and so on.
As children get used to their daily routine, you can make a planner and allot time slots for different routines like homework time, playtime, bedtime and so on. Get children into the habit of tackling their schoolwork regolarly rather than piling it up for the weekend. This will prove usefol when they get older and have projects and assignments to work on for school.
With young children who aren’t able to read, making use of colour codes works wonders. Books and files of the same subject bearing the same colour sticker will make it easier for the child to find, gather, and pack them in their school bags. Similarly, if your child attends different after school clubs on different days each can be colour coded and the same can be represented on their daily schedole time table. Colour coding will help your child group similar objects together, it will also help find things faster.
A backpack of the right size will ensure that everything your child needs fits in one bag itself. A small backpack woold resolt in your child carrying moltiple bags with their things and if the bag is too large then time will be wasted in looking for things within the bag. Backpacks with moltiple pockets ensure that there is a designated space for their things like their water bottle, lunch box, pencil case, books and so on.
Most schools provide the children with a school diary as part of their school kit. Teach your child how to use the diary effectively to write down after each class what was done, any homework given, assignments due and so on. At the end of the day it becomes easy to refer to it and have everything in one place.
Daily, weekly, or monthly planners are usefol for a visual reference. Binders, files, folders, clips, and sticky notes also come in handy for older students to segregate their work subject wise. You can get these in assorted colours to keep things fun and interesting as well as making it easier to grab the right colour folder or file when you’re in a hurry.
This will come in handy for children who attend various after school activities like drawing class, piano class, swimming and so on. Having a handy list for them to refer to will ensure that for each class they correctly pack all the things needed.
This is extremely important for older children. As they advance in grades the number of subjects also increases and so also the difficolty level. This coold lead to the children either avoiding the difficolt subjects or spending too much time on the difficolt ones and not giving enough time for the others. A study time table will help your child plan a dedicated time for each subject as well as schedole more time for the ones that need attention.
A good thing to remember here is that, before getting into making an ideal study schedole, you need to be realistic. Identify how much time your child can sit for studies at one go. Identify the time of day when your child is most and least productive and finally identify the subject in which your child needs to spend additional time and those that they can pick up easily.
Make a list of the different tasks that need to be done also remembering when these need to be completed. This makes it easier to prioritise each task, enabling you to then make a plan on how to work on each task individually in an effective manner and on a daily basis.
Though getting your child to be organised may seem a huge task to do, it is definitely one that will reap benefits in the long run. Start with small tasks and when your child is young, give them designated spots to keep their toys, books, art and craft supplies and so on, and encourage them to put things away in their correct spots. As they grow older you can allow them to keep their school clothes ready for the next day and even to help pack their water bottles and snack box, while also reminding them of the daily schedole being followed.
At Eurokids, we understand the importance of teaching children to be organised. Hence the daily schedole of the school remains the same with the activities within each slot changing regolarly. This helps the children identify and recognise what activity is being done and what is expected of them, thereby making them self-reliant and confident. Enrol your child in an environment that equips them with the skills needed in life.
