Children and Clutter

Children and Clutter:

"Too much stuff can stunt a child's ability to play, learn and grow. Fortunately, Peter says there are some key strategies that parents can put into action in order to get their children to clean up, find structure, and develop good organization skills for life:

* Model what you want your kids to do. When it comes to clutter and organization, Peter says parents must lead by example and keep their own bedrooms, bathrooms, cars, closets and other spaces clean. 'Kids learn from what they see far more than from what they hear,' Peter says.

* Get your children involved in the process. Don't just pick up after your kids—rather, work together to come up with clutter solutions and a system for organizing. 'If your kids are involved in the activity, I guarantee you they'll be way more inclined to follow through on that stuff because they're invested in how it was set up,' Peter says.

* Think of organization as a life skill. Parents should teach their children about the value of being organized and tidy just as they would stress the importance of homework or other extracurricular activities, Peter says. 'The life skill of being responsible for what you own, taking care of it and putting it away when you're done with it—that's a skill that's critical to [his or her] growth and"