The third in a 3-part series. Read the 1st post in the series: Back to school, into life.
Many years ago, a Montessori teacher told me that when they teach young children math, they begin by teaching them how to sort. Sorting continues to be a critical part of learning at every stage in life as we learn how to distinguish one type of item from another, usually by function. So, when you teach a young child how to sort their socks and shoes, clothes, backpacks and school supplies, school papers, books and study materials, you are building life skills that will save them time, frustration and, ultimately, money! And I’m not talking pocket change.
Sorting and containing are at the heart of what it means to be organized — a skill lacking in many students nowadays. Sorting is one of the first steps in the process of transforming chaos into order, while containing is one of the final critical steps.
The process of sorting develops focus and character. What do I use every day? What do I use once a week? What do I rarely, if ever, use? What can I give away?
The process of containing also requires decision making. What size and shape of container will keep a group of items together in a location I won’t forget.
Over 30 years of experience in organizing families and businesses has taught me that kids (and adults!) who sort and contain can complete an average task in half the time of someone who is disorganized.
Containers and Zones
Ever go into an organized kindergarten room? It is the perfect model of function and efficiency, divided into areas or zones designed for a specific purpose: the reading area, the arts area, the play area. And each area or zone has containers complimentary to the task: shelves for books, boxes or baskets for art supplies, hanging shoe-pockets for hats and mittens.
When the items that fill our homes, our work and our play are sorted and contained, life is simply easier. Children are happier. Moms and dads are relieved. I once received a letter from a mom who told me I’d “saved her life” when I helped her organize her child’s bedroom.
A Happy Closet
A wonderful teenager in Virginia was struggling with how to organize a really big container — her bedroom closet! So we spent the morning working together, having fun and completing the work in less than two hours.
First, we took everything out of her closet, got rid of clothes that did not fit or that she was not wearing. Then we put it all back, using containers that held one type of item — sweaters, tops, and so forth. She owned all of the green containers seen in the picture, but she was not using them correctly.
Kids of all ages love order. All they need is a little help to combine good organizing principles with their own personal goals. And almost all of the time, the process begins with two simple but powerful concepts: sort and contain.