How to Get 5 Years Old to Be More Organized

I'm a super neat person and it may be as simple as changing your expectation. My daughter, four, puts everything away at night. Its a really big deal to her to read books at night so when she puts everything away, we read as many books as we have time for. I'm big on not rewarding expected behavoir. There are nights when we can only read for a bit, but that's what happens as a result of delay.

So everything will be clean in the morning, but I don't expect toys picked up throughout the day. In fact, mess is hugely important for creative play so although I'd love a clutter free home, I know she's learning though all the mess.

It just takes practice. Have her help by your example.

When its time to clean up, go play w/her for a few minutes (so you aren't marching into the room and ordering her to start cleaning up when its time) and then start putting all the toys into the bins w/no particular order - together! In the next week or so, pick a bin and tell her only certain toys go in there and make her find them while you are putting away the rest of the toys. The next week do the same thing by adding another bin of another toy category. Within a few weeks she should be used finding toys and knowing which bins they go in - by herself!

Another suggestion is having her pull out one bin at a time and if she wants to play w/toys in another bin, she has to put the 1st bin away. Same thing w/books - after looking at a book, have her put it back before pulling out a new one.

GL

an organized 5 year old??? Sweetie, I didn't learn that till I was 10ish. Even then I didn't put it to use till I had my own apt.
**Most kids by 5 really know how to put things away, and we are lucky if that happens. My sister with her 3 kids had their toy room amazingly organized. Two weeks later it of course was trashed, and nothing was in "place". I think organization might be much to ask from a 5 year old. I would be happy if they picked up with out me asking 3 times.

a five year old should be picking up her messes when she's done, WITH help and supervision. no 5 year old is going to just "go clean her room" all by herself. or automatically put things in bins just beacuse they are there. we like to have my son put his first project away before he gets out another one. and he's great at that. but just general toys all over the floor, books fallen off the shelves - a grownup needs to be there directing traffic, so to speak. no little kid is just going to keep their room clean on their own. it's too much to ask.

My daughter is the same way, almost 5 years old. We try to stress when you are done playing with ONE thing put it away, that way there is less to clean up at the end of the day. Right now we have to big pick up times, before nap/quiet time and before bedtime.

First she is only five, yes she needs to learn to pick up but it is not going to be done the way an adult would do it. Usually I have to help guied her in what to do first, pick up all the books and put them on the shelf, pick up all the dress clothes and put them in the play clothes bin, pick up the play kitchen stuff and put it in their bin.

I DO NOT help her in pyhsically picking up the items, I help only in focusing her in what to do, breaking it down into doable tasks. Most days now she has learned that getting out only a few things at a time means less pick up time since she puts them away when done. You just have to keep reminding her, maybe write the rules down so she can see them and knows what happens when she does not pick the items up.

My boys had bins and shelves, but they were always empty, haha. My rule was that there had to be a path from their beds to the door so none of us would trip and fall in the night. We did put away and organize at least once a week tho, usually on Sunday...... and it was all downhill from there :)