Did you know that having a clean and organized personal workspace can actually have psychological benefits? Studies show that having a well organized and clean workspace can increase persistence by as much as 84 % and help sustain attention longer than a messy one. With summer vacation coming to an end, now is the perfect time to begin getting organized and work with your child to create their own personal workspace for the upcoming academic year. Providing your child with a dedicated home work space is a wonderful way to instill responsibility over personal space and develop an organizational foundation. Here are a few ideas to create a winning workspace!
Encourage Use of This Space with Personalized Details
Find fun ways to personalize the desk or work area and tailor it to your child’s specific interests! For younger kids this might be a little framed photo of their pet or family or some fun posters! For older kids this might be adding some twinkle lights or small plants! Adding some inviting elements to make the space peaceful and cozy help invite your child to want to spend more time in their workspace. You could also give it a name like “Katie’s Home Office” or “Jeff’s Work Cave” to make it extra special to them.
Design the Ideal Workspace
An ideal workspace for your child will have a desk with plenty of space to write and draw on and perhaps a few cubbies, drawers or shelves nearby. It is best if the space is quiet and removed from extra stimuli as much as possible (not by a TV or right in the middle of the living room). Keep only the most necessary items present on the desk space so that it isn’t cluttered. Use shelves and drawers to store papers, folders, books, writing utensils etc. It can be helpful to label specific spots for things so that everything has its designated space.
Make an “All Tidy” Reference Photo
When you first set up this workspace, take a clear photo of how everything looks and where each item is. Print the photo out and tape it to the desk or a clipboard. This serves as a wonderful visual cue for how to maintain organization and cleanliness in the space from day to day.
Create a Routine to Keep It Clean
At the end of each work session, your child should do a quick 5 minute tidy up of their space. You could even make them a little written check list with items like “throw away any trash”, “put away extra papers”, “pack homework into back pack” “tuck in chair” etc. They can use their “all tidy” reference photo to try to make sure they leave their space looking the same way each day. Once a month, do a de-clutter session to pack away papers, books and other items not needed anymore. An incentive for keeping their space clean and tidy might be getting to buy new decorations or special office supplies for their desk every once in awhile!
Written by Laine J.