Want to stop tripping over toys that have somehow found themselves littered on the floor? Trying to think up ways to organise your home but don’t know where to begin? We asked UAE-based decluttering specialist Shelina Jokhiya, who is also the author of the book ‘Can You Find it in Five Seconds?’ for her top tips on getting kids to sort out their own mess. Here’s what she said:
1. Find the disposables: Spend 15-20 minutes doing a mini-declutter with your children, guiding them to declutter and get rid of any toys that they do not like, do not work, are broken, or that they have outgrown. Where possible, give things for donation and explain that they are going to other kids who aren’t as fortunate as them. If you treat it like a fun game that is also helping others, they will be enthusiastic about being part of the process.
2. Assign it a spot: Once the toys have been decluttered, categorise the ones they want to keep into similar or the same groups, for example, Lego, dolls, dinosaurs, cars, action figures. Once categorised, put them into boxes with the help of your little ones.
3. Label the boxes using fun pictures: This will encourage the children to find the toys easily and to put them away in the same location once they have finished playing.
4. Play a game: Each evening, give the kids 10-15 minutes to play the clear-up game. The aim is to put all the toys in the right box. No throwing something into a random box. If they get them all away in the time they can receive a treat, such as 10 minutes reading a book with you, five minutes of cartoons or even a small chocolate bar.
5. And repeat: Redo the mini-declutter every quarter to ensure that they remove the toys that are taking up valuable space in their play area. Soon it will become a positive habit that they look forward to, and that will help them naturally become more organised and responsible with their possessions as they grow older.
Tell us your tips for keeping the kids neat and tidy at parenting@gulfnews.com
