4 Tips To Help Your Toddler Learn Organizational And Motor Skills |
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The most successful children are typically kids who have organizational skills. Learning organizational skills helps children develop their focus, concentration and motor skills. Here are 4 tips on how you can teach your toddler to be organized, to develop skills and to make smooth transitions between activities.
The most successful children are typically kids who have organizational skills. Learning organizational skills helps children develop their focus, concentration and motor skills. Here are 4 tips on how you can teach your toddler to be organized, to develop skills and to make smooth transitions between activities. These organization tips may need to be adjusted depending on your toddler's age, abilities and learning style. You can use these tips as a reference guide. #1 - Create an easy-to-use and maintain bin system for your child's supplies and toys. Separate the types of toys and supplies into individual bins. Take photographs of each type of toy or supply contained within and tape the photograph to the front of each corresponding bin. For example: Place a photograph of Lego's to your child's bin that contains Lego's. Do the same with markers, plush toys, crayons, and so on. Even if the bins are clear (transparent), it will be easier for your child to be organized if s/he has a visual cue as to where their toys or supplies belong. Choose bins with easy to remove lids or no lids. #2 - Display your kid's toys, supplies and clothing. It is easier for all young children, and some older children who tend to be visual, to stay organized if they can see their belongings. Drawers do not usually work well for young children. If you must use drawers, tape a photograph on the front of each drawer that corresponds to what is kept in the drawer. Install low hanging hooks that they can reach. One approach to teach and inspire them to use their hooks - Talk with your child about how they are a "big" boy or girl now. Babies throw their coats on the floor when they come into the house but "big" boys and girls hang theirs up, like mom and dad do. Most 2 and 3 year olds think of themselves as "big" and want to do things that "big" people do. #3 - Set up daily routines. Creating and following regular daily routines can make transitioning from one activity to another less upsetting for you child. An example of an organizing routine is to give your child a 10-minute heads-up before the evening meal each day and then ask them set a timer for 10 minutes. An egg timer with an easy to use dial typically works well. Teach them that when the timer goes off, they are to pick up all of their toys and crafts and place them in the appropriate bins. This daily exercise establishes a routine, lets your child know what to expect, gives them a 10-minute lead-time and then provides them a distinct audio clue when it's time to pick up and get organized. It is important to ask your children to set the egg timer, not you. It gets them more involved in the process and they will be more likely to follow through. Another element to this routine that you could add is a special "pick-up and get organized" song. When the timer goes off you could play that specific song that your child then recognizes as the "pick-up and get organized" song. This can make it fun, playful, soothing and also can help keep them on task. #4 Turn your child's schedule into a picture schedule. Picture schedules work best toddlers and also for all kids on the autistic spectrum. Set up the picture schedule so that when your child is finished with the task or activity they can move that corresponding picture to the all done side of their schedule. Essentially you are creating an interactive picture schedule that your child can "control". Their picture schedule could also be organized by first, next, last. This gives them a specific order of the tasks. The key with helping toddlers learn organizational skills is to keep it very simple. The key to helping your toddler get and stay organized is to use visual aids, audio cues and to keep it simple. About the Author: Frank Cole Heidi is a professional organizer specializing in organizing paperwork , creator of The Fast-Filing Method home filing system, & publisher of Life Made Simple e-Magazine. She energizes her readers' lives by teaching effective systems to help you accomplish more in less time! Visit ClearSimpleLiving.com to get a complimentary subscription & a FREE Home Organization Kit. |
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