Most people like to have their space relatively clean and organized. However, for many children, it’s difficult to not only get their bedroom to be neat, but also to keep it that way for longer than a day. Nearly every parent knows what it’s like to have their child’s bedroom turn from a clean space where everything is in the right place to a disorganized mess after they try to find that sweater from two weeks ago or have a playdate.
It’s not uncommon for children to have messy bedrooms. Young children don’t intrinsically understand the importance and value of a clean bedroom. Teens have such a long priority list that cleaning their bedroom often falls to the wayside in favor of extracurriculars and studying for exams. But bedroom organization is more than a common household chore to learn responsibility. It also helps them develop the Executive Function skills they need in the future to be productive.
Organization is a skill that can be difficult for your child to develop, especially if they have a developmental disorder like ADHD that impacts their Executive Function skills. With the right tips and tricks, you can help your child work with the challenges posed by their ADHD. They can keep their bedroom organized in a way that works for them.
Keeping your child’s bedroom organized goes beyond just putting things in drawers. It requires Executive Function skills that can be impacted by ADHD, such as focus and working memory. Children who have ADHD can have trouble concentrating on a cleaning task until it’s completed or remembering where things are supposed to go.
The goal is to not only get your child to organize their room but also for their room to stay that way with sustainable solutions. If you’re trying to help your child with ADHD keep their bedroom organized, there are quite a few strategies that are worth testing out. Remember, collaboration is key. It’s their room, their belongings and their time. Work with them to figure out which strategies will be the most effective. Be sure to consider their strengths and challenges.
Here are a few ADHD-friendly organization tips to help your child keep their bedroom organized. These tips can be adapted for your child’s age, space and abilities.
When you have a child, you know the importance of staying organized because you’ve no doubt had experiences of what happens when you can’t find what you’re looking for. Maybe you misplaced important medical records or you were late to a birthday party because you couldn’t find that greeting card you bought. Your children may not have had those experiences yet, so they don’t understand the consequences of being disorganized.
It’s essential to help your children form organizational habits now to avoid preventable issues in the future. If they have ADHD, the benefits of an organized bedroom go beyond being able to find what they need. Your child with ADHD should keep their room organized because it:
Executive Function skills are life management skills that we all need in order to be effective in planning, initiating, and achieving goals at home, in school, and in the workplace. There are plenty of Executive Functions that are involved in keeping a bedroom organized, including self-monitoring, focus, and working memory. ADHD can impact these skills, making it difficult for your child to organize their room and keep it that way.
Even though ADHD can make bedroom organization a challenge for your child, incorporating the tips above can help them keep their room clean and develop the skills they need to succeed in other areas of their life, from schoolwork to extracurricular activities.
Executive Function skills are trainable and coachable with time and the right tools. At Beyond BookSmart, our Executive Function coaching can help kindergarten-age children through college-aged young adults stay focused, motivated, and engaged in everything from schoolwork to household chores.
We can help your child tackle a specific task like this in a Single Coaching Session! No commitment is needed and it won't interrupt your student's summer.