12 Organizing Tips I Learned as a Kid

My immigrant parents were wonderful people and were entrepreneurs, but organizing wasn't their strongest trait. So, as a kid, I had to figure out for myself how to organize my space. I was a fan of puzzles, and doing this task over the years was just another game I would do to keep myself busy.

The organizing tips I learned were primarily from middle school to high school which was through trial and error. As you can see, I always had organizing on the brain even as a younger child.

Watching me do these tasks, my parents were amazed at what I did and how I was aware that something needed changing without any help from them. 

My learned organizing tips below can be shared with your kids so they can also realize the importance of putting stuff away and helping them see the outcome of what happens when items have a home.  Feel free to share these organizing tips with your kids.

12 Organizing Tips To Teach Your Kids This Year

1. Return scissors to their home or you will never find them again.

   • I found that scissors were always moved and never returned to their home. We would cut coupons every week and my mom and I would need to find the scissors before we could do this task, resulting in wasted time and energy. 

2. Put a notepad and pencils/pens in the same place or you will be running around trying to find them when you need them.

   • When talking on the phone in the kitchen, there was always paper and pencils missing near the phone. So, to write down an item we needed for a grocery list, we were always hunting for these items. 

3. Organize small items, like paper clips, into small bins. Mixing small items is usually not a good idea. 

   • The dreaded junk drawer was always a mess with items not organized and small items mixed. Pushpins and paper clips were always in the same area which was not only disorganized, but it was dangerous. It was a tricky business to get a paper clip from the pile. 

4. Label bin to help find items quicker, especially if you are sharing the bin with others.

   • We never had our bins labeled. This may seem OCD but with four people in the household and no one knew where the items belonged, it was hard to keep liked items organized in a bin. 

5. Place bobby pins in a box with a lid so you won't lose them. Returning them to the box in essential.

   • Back in the day, bobby pins were the 'go-to' item with my rubber bands (Affiliate Link) so I could put my hair in a bun to get control over my unruly curly hair. So, finding a bunch of bobby pins in one place was a necessity. 

6. Place all socks in one drawer and divide by color and / or type, black, brown, white, work socks, tights, etc...

   • This tip I learned as a teenager. Even if you don't like to match up the socks (Affiliate Link), I found it was so much easier to sort them by color and / or type so I could easily spot the items to match it up on the go. 

7. When you are finding something in a drawer or organizing a drawer, empty the drawer out completely, clean the crumbs and trash from the bottom, organize each item into groups, and only put back the items you want to keep.

   • I found that organizing a drawer or space was easier if I took everything out of the area and started from scratch. It also allowed me to clean out and trash any crumbs from the bottom of the drawer, which were bound to be there. I like to remember it was OK to clean as I organize. 

8. To finish a project, stay focused on the first task at hand, then complete each task before moving on to the next task.  Then, write what you need to do next for another time.

   • Breaking down projects into smaller tasks and doing those tasks in order, allowed me the freedom to stop at the end of each task and make a note, so I knew where to start when I returned to the project. This was helpful when I would do craft projects or research papers in my preteen years. 

9. Make a 'to do' list when feeling overwhelmed, even if you don't want to.

   • This one I learned when I was in high school. I noticed that I was always stressed about what I needed to do each day. One evening, I decided to write down everything I needed to do the next day and found that it was easier for me to go to bed at night. So, I started doing this often to help control my anxiety about getting stuff done. 

10. Sort all gathered items into categories.  It is easier to remember where you put items if there is a common theme woven in the category.

    • Establishing systems and grouping common items together helped me when organizing my craft supplies in my bedroom. I loved to do a variety of different craft projects, and it was easier to have all the similar items near each other so I could easily reach them when doing that craft.  

11. Always use dividers in school binders to get to a subject quickly and always write your homework assignments and other activities/tasks in one place.

    • This tip was super useful in middle school (6-8 grade), where I had to walk around to different classes during the day.  

12. Keep all the daily supplies together when taking them around with you, whether you carry a separate briefcase, use a purse, or put them in your binder.

    • Pens, pencils, lip balm (Affiliate Link), brush, etc. were easier to keep track of if I had them all in one place. Whether it was a carrying case or a purse, I always wanted to be able to find my stuff in one section and not have to hunt two or three different areas to find something I needed on the go. A well-equipped purse with several pockets worked nicely for me. 

Well, there you have it. Below is my list to help you teach your kids organizing skills. Which one is the most important skill you want to teach your kids this year? Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you. 

Remember, by teaching your kids organizing skills; it will help them feel more in control of their lives whether it is during school or at home. Making it fun is also critical for them to appreciate the results it will give them.  Take it from me; if you force organizing on your children, they may resent you for it. So, keep organizing lessons lighthearted. And, above all else, share with them your experiences as a child and what you learned. They will appreciate it. 

Feel free to visit these additional articles I found online to help you teach organizing tips to your kids:

10 Tips to Help Get Your Child Organized

5 Ways to Develop Your Child's Organizational Skills

Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon. At no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.