Nurturing spaces with the complicity of one’s children

Using creativity as a meeting ground

How many in Italy today are aware of the existence of Professional Organizers who specialize in the area of Lifestyle and Family? They are the P.O.'s who have refined and finalized their organizational skills to support all the figures included in the family sphere: parents, children, teens and beyond. They help explore various topics related to the development of organizational skills, such as space, time, exhaustible resources and money, having the ability to work with multiple people who are part of the same household.

P.O. alongside parents

With parents (here we speak to you) more in difficulty, a bond of strong empathy is created; they see in the P.O. a lifeline, a professional they can rely on to better manage their relationship with their children, recognizing in their practical organizational proposals good educational foundations to start children and young people on the road to autonomy. Never before as in this moment in history do we live with difficulty the attempt to combine as best as possible, work life, which proposes us too pressing schedules and the role of attentive and present parent.

Space, a topic of interest to parents and children

Of the various topics related to organization, "space management" is certainly the most appealing, for young and old alike. Whether a parent, child or teenager, everyone wants to live in a pleasant environment where they can devote themselves to study, work, rest, reading or play. The spaces we experience not only speak about us, but also give us more or less serenity, facilitating our concentration and energy recovery.

But when it comes to children and young people, how to approach the topic? What are the points to dwell on? Space management is related to the following issues.

1. The space should reflect the age of the person living in it

   As adults, it is important to give proper importance to this. Even in furniture choices, in respecting the right height and reachability of things, put the child's needs first, to accompany the child in conscious growth. Remember that organization goes hand in hand with change.

2. Game management and books

   From an early age, games accompany children's cognitive growth. Managing them in relation to the space they clutter is a valuable opportunity to convey the value of organization. The use of the right containers, chosen in relation to what they will enclose and where they will be stored, and the use of "do-it-yourself labels" are the first steps in developing classification. "A place for everything and everything in its place" helps maintain organization and order in spaces. It is also important, at regular intervals, to do "space clearing" of books and games to let go of those outdated in age, perhaps keeping only a few special keepsakes, a few but good ones.

3. The study space

   If the child/youth is fortunate enough to have a space dedicated to educational activities, he or she will have a desk, a comfortable chair, the right lighting, and a bookcase where school books and notebooks can be stored. But the desk itself will have to be managed as well as possible so that it does not become a place to store objects without any control. If the parent can pass on these good habits from an early age, we would have a more knowledgeable adult who is also able to manage his or her digital desk in the future. In the case of not having a dedicated place, we can create the "learning activity box" that will be managed with awareness and stored ready for use when the time comes.

4. Shared space (whether its own room or another area of the house)

   Shared space with a brother/sister whether you are talking about your own room or if you are talking about the common areas (living room, kitchen, bathroom) to be shared with everyone, teaches respect for each other. Especially when spaces are very small, it is important to keep order, but above all to allow everyone to easily find what they are looking for because it is stored in a place recognized by everyone. It is also important to teach the value of respect through space management.

5. Identity space (I grow, tastes and needs change)

   When I talk about identity space, I mean that space where the child/teen can express himself, his desires, his style. The room, for example, should follow the evolution of age; a 5/7-year-old child's room will certainly not be the same as that of a 12-year-old boy or a 15/17-year-old teenager. Without overspending, but also resorting to creativity, give them the space for expression, they should feel that that space represents them.

6. The closet, who manages it?

   The closet is also a space and as such it should be approached together with them; it should not just be the parents who take care of it. Seasonal changes can be accomplished as a game, wearing clothes, letting some items go to a second life. By making children and teens participants in this process, care for clothes is taught, developing good taste, attention and care for garments while also learning the color palette and how to pair them. Choosing appropriate containers and developing proper care for even small spaces.

7. Space and creativity, a happy union

   I would like to emphasize how supportive creativity can be in the management of any space. From choosing the color of a wall or making targeted labels to put on containers; involving children and teens in the evolution and transformation of their rooms and study and/or reading spaces, using creativity is a winning weapon to engage them in developing organizational skills!

The field experience

Some children often find it difficult to let go of their games, even if they are cognitively outdated. These are the cases where the intervention of a Professional Organizer makes all the difference. I have more than once been told by mothers, "He won't get rid of anything, he is too attached to his toys, I have tried several times," and instead, as if by magic, the children in question cooperated with great ease in the "renewal of their spaces" happy to give a second life to what they had held back for too long, allocating them to other children.

They really appreciate it when their room "finds a new harmony" in the renovated spaces. This is easily understood, as, often an outside figure gets more than a parent, as strong empathy and complicity is created in the relationship and a satisfied smile appears on the face of the person in front of me.

Let me remind you of our various activities

On the link below you can view all the online courses dedicated to the family.

https://organizzareitalia.com/course-category/corsi-per-educare-allorganizzazione/genitori/

If the topic outlined has aroused real interest in you, my invitation is to take action, that is, to listen to your emotions in order to increase awareness. Concrete help can be found in our personalized counseling proposal. A Professional Organizer who specializes in supporting the family, works alongside you your children, in finding the right solutions, new strategies, tools and methodologies to transform and manage the spaces in which you live. Following is the link to the shadowing course for parents, you may find the answers to your needs and entice you to begin a journey, in which I will be by your side.
https://organizzareitalia.com/courses/genitori-organizza-lo-spazio-in-famiglia-corso-individuale/

You can also write to info@organizzareitalia.com and make your needs explicit.

Are you ready to start a new organizational journey and bring about a more peaceful lifestyle for you and your family?

"A project is an organized dream."

Prabha Cristina Ranchicchio