Confession time…I meant to get this post done right after the first of the year. My house was under attack by Mono and just last week I finally got both my kiddos back to school. This combined with the launch of our ebook …. well I hope you can understand why I fell a bit behind.
Have the holidays left you with more toys and stuff than you know what do with? I interviewed professional organizer Dawn Cannon from Finely Organized and here is our list of ADHD friendly ways to help kids clean up their space.
- Create Boundaries
- Clutter is unmade decisions. If you give your child a folder for all of their Pokemon cards and the # of cards exceeds the slots in the folder….time to purge!
- Donate, Donate, Donate
- It is very important to involve your kiddo in this step! You don’t want them to come home and all of the sudden half their American Girl Doll wardrobe is MIA! For best results, purge with your kiddo right after dosing their medication. Take it in small chunks. For example, if your child is 5 years old purge for 10 minutes.
- Have Different Rooms for Different Activities
- Or at least dedicated areas…if your ADHDer must study in their room, give them a desk to organize their stuff and their thoughts.
- Soften the Blow of Letting Things Go
- Does your kiddo struggle with the act of giving things away? Do their eyes well up with tears when that mountain of stuffed animals start looking for new homes? Try using a video like this to paint the picture of a child that truly needs their donation.
- Use Timers and Warnings
- After you’ve done the hard work of organizing, help your kiddo keep it clean! Give warnings before playtime is over and set a timer when it’s time to start cleaning up!
It’s ok to admit when you are in over your head…or just don’t have the time to get it all done. Reach out to a professional organizer like Finely Organized.
Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for keeping your kiddo organized? Please share in the comments below.
ADHDaze 