Keeping a home organised when you have children can feel like a never-ending battle. Teaching kids to help with household organisation not only teaches them valuable life skills, but goes a long way towards making your life easier too. 

By making tidying a habit rather than a chore, and adopting organisation strategies that are engaging and age-appropriate, you can make home organisation a shared family effort.  

Here are some ideas to get kids involved in the tidying cycle— hopefully without the battles. 

Why Involving Children in Organisation Matters 

It’s worth remembering why teaching children to take responsibility for their space has benefits beyond a cleaner home. There are distinct advantages, such as encouraging independence and a sense of ownership. It helps to build good habits that they’ll carry with them throughout life. 

For parents, it reduces stress and arguments when everyone contributes rather than leaving one person to pick up after everyone else. Family should be a team, after all, and working together makes things better all round. 

Making Organisation Fun and Engaging 

Children are more likely to participate in tidying if it doesn’t feel like a boring or overwhelming task. Turning it into a game is one way of making it fun. Here are suggestions, but you’ll have some ideas of your own too:  

  • Beat the Timer – Set a countdown timer for five or ten minutes and say, ‘let’s see if we can beat the timer to get this place tidy’. Promise a treat when the work’s done. 
  • Treasure Hunt – Hide small rewards among the mess (stickers, small treats) to make tidying an adventure. 
  • Sorting Races – Have a competition to see who can sort toys, books, or clothes the fastest. 

Make Storage Kid-Friendly 

If kids are to help keep their stuff organised, you need a simple system or they’ll soon give up. Ways to keep it simple include using open bins and baskets, labelling storage used by younger children with pictures as well as words, and keeping shelves at an appropriate height so they can reach them independently 

Establish Simple Routines 

The best way to establish routines is to make them a habit and be consistent. Ideas for doing this could be: 

  • The 5-Minute Evening Tidy – A short clean-up before bedtime keeps messes from piling up. 
  • The ‘One Thing at a Time’ Rule – Teach children to put away one activity before starting another. 
  • Morning Habits – Encourage making beds and general tidying as part of the daily routine. 

Assign Age-Appropriate Tasks 

Nothing is cast in stone, but here are some suggestions for the kind of tasks you can get kids involved with, or start teaching them how to do. 

  • 2 to 3 years – get them to put toys back into boxes or baskets, or help by handing you items as you tidy up. 
  • 4 – 5 years – at this age kids can help set the dining table, help with laundry such as putting socks into pairs, and they should be able to tidy up their toys with supervision. 
  • 6 – 8 years – Fold simple laundry such as hand towels and tea towels or t-shirts, and maybe help with dusting small areas. 
  • 9 – 12 years – Increase the responsibility a bit, such as loading/unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming, or organising shelves. 
  • 13 plus – by this age kids could be helping with meal prep, taking on heavier jobs such as emptying bins, and assuming more responsibility for their own spaces. 

Give Kids Ownership of Their Space 

When children feel their space is truly theirs, they are more likely to take care of it. Encourage them to choose their own storage solutions such as plastic bins or cardboard boxes, fabric baskets or wooden chests. Let them decide where things should go, within reason. You could also let them have a say in how their room or play area is decorated, or let them choose posters and decals that reflect their current interests. 

Making Family Organisation a Long-Term Habit 

Building an organised home with children isn’t about achieving perfection, it’s about creating systems that work for your family. Here are some more tips for keeping the house tidy in the long run: 

  • Be consistent – Routines take time to stick, so encourage them daily. 
  • Be patient – We all make mistakes or forget things, and that’s okay. Keep guiding them. 
  • Adjust as they grow – Organisation needs change as children get older. Involve them in updating their space. A storage unit or self storage locker can help maintain order and minimise the number of playthings kept at home, especially for growing kids whose likes change often, or when you want to hang onto something for younger siblings to use as they grow older. 
  • Make it a team effort – When tidying is seen as a shared family responsibility, children are more likely to want to be part of it. Young children also love to help, so if yours are still toddlers, now’s a great time to encourage them. 

The best advice is start gently and stay patient. Small changes in routine build up, and before you know it, you’ll have a much more organised household. 

This is a collaborative post.