“If it’s a habit, it ceases to be a source of conflict,” says Gretchen Rubin, author of Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives. 

Even toddlers can learn to hang up coats (provide them a hook), pull up bedding, put clothes in hamper, bring plates to sink.  Toddlers think of work as play and you can turn this teaching moment into a game.  Following routines offers a sense of calm.

Once a child starts pre-school there will be a set of routines for picking up the classroom.  Capitalize on the cubby system at home, purchasing similar storage bins. Sing the school’s clean up song as you work, I mean play, with your child.

Keep a donation bin in the garage. Getting rid of old toys and too-small clothing is important for an organized home. Purge as you go instead of spending an entire Saturday “cleaning out” will be much better received by your entire family.

Children love to mimic and who best to mimic but a loving parent teaching them the fundamentals of an organized life.