“Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, makes the rainbow bright!”
This simple song is a great way to introduce your young child to organizing. For older children and teens, it’s ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). Professional organizers swear by this formula for so many situations. It’s also a wonderful way to teach them to recognize their colors and then move on to sizes later.
When you ask your child to put their books back on the shelf, have them place all red books together. Sometimes they will get the colors mixed up and that’s OK. You can start with one red book and ask them to find all books that look the same color. Do the same with other colors on their bookshelf. For toddlers and preschoolers, focus just on color-matching. Because some books are multi-colored, ask your child which color stands out first to them.
For older children, have them line them up by size. Later on, they can organize them by subject instead of just by color, unless they still prefer to organize them that way. The main focus is that they are organized according to how your child prefers them and that they are on the shelf in a neat order and not on the floor.
This same process can be used for their toys. Cars and trucks can be lined up in color order when younger, then by size when they get a bit older. Dolls and stuffed animals could be sorted based on hair or fur color, the predominant color of clothes or the ribbon around their neck. Building blocks such as Legos and Duplos can be sorted into separate bins by color for younger children. Many stores sell bins in multiple colors for this purpose, which makes it much easier to sort.
I love organizing my clothes by color. This is not only a fun activity for your child, but will also speed up the process of finding matching outfits when you’re in a hurry. Matching socks is an easy task for toddlers. Ask them what color their shirts, pants, dresses and coats are. Hang them up in the closet according to color, but also by type.
I keep short-sleeved shirts separate from long-sleeved ones. I also separate casual from dressier clothing. How you organize the types of clothes in their closet may depend on other factors. Perhaps school uniforms vs. play clothes. They can help you figure out if this clothing article would be worn when it’s hot or cold outside. Perhaps you prefer to fold items into dresser drawers. Again, they can be sorted by type and by season.
Whichever way you teach your child to be organized, ensure that it’s always fun and not under duress. Maybe race to the end of a song they enjoy or sing songs while you work together. Promise to read a favorite book or go to the park when you’re all done. Give them something to look forward to immediately when the task is completed.
Get organized. All the cool kids are doing it!
Los Altos Hills resident Lyn Rogers, a professional organizer, is owner and CEO of Lyn At Your Service.
For more information, visit LynAtYourService.com.
