How did building THE LIST go? Did your children use it last night? Try to do a dry run of THE LIST every night this week. If you are consistent about using the list, your kids will make it a habit. Make it a game, make it fun. Reward the completion of the list with a special bedtime story. If your children are readers let them have a few extra minutes to finish a couple chapters before it's lights out. You will be amazed at how much better they sleep in a clutter-free room knowing that they are ready for the next day. Top it off with a hug and kiss from mom or dad and your children know they are loved and important. What better way to go to sleep!
Today, we are going to look at where you keep the kid stuff. One of the things I use to hate at the end of the school day was the pile of shoes, jackets, backpacks, plastic bags, art projects, newsletters, and lunchboxes that got dumped at the front door when the kids got home. I would grab the whole works and heave it back outside! Unfortunately, that made the front walkway look as messy as the front entrance did and it taught the kids nothing. It did provide them with great entertainment value as they watched mom work off her temper tantrum. No more.
One of the best things we did to reduce morning and after school chaos was to build ONE spot to keep all this stuff in. We don't have a name for it. It is just the spot in the garage where their things go.
This spot is nothing fancy. My husband built it about five years ago. It has a shelf with hooks underneath. There is one hook for each backpack and one hook for each jacket. We only keep the in-season jackets on the hooks. The out-of-season jackets are stored on a coat rack in the basement. On the shelf are plastic containers to hold their toques, mitts, scarves, and lunchboxes. On the ground are plastic boot trays for their shoes and boots (and roller blades, and sports gear, and swimming goggles, etc). Every season, we clear out the stuff to make room for the stuff they will actually use.
It took awhile to get the kids used to hanging up their coats and backpacks in the spot, but now that they do, we have completely eliminated that frantic morning hunt for missing shoes and homework. They know where to put everything the night before.
Now here is the unexpected bonus. By getting rid of all the kids' gear from our front closet, my husband and I actually have room to hang up our own coats and we can find our own shoes now. It is great LOL!
You may have to be a little creative here, but see if you can create a spot just for the kids to put their gear. Teach them to put their stuff away when they get home and teach them to check that their stuff is ready to go for the next day. In the winter this may mean putting wet mitts on the heat registers the night before so they are dry by morning. Even pre-school kids can learn how to take care of their "spots". You just have to hang their hooks a little lower so they can reach them.
See you tomorrow!
Cindy
Back to School Challenge