Family Organizing Center

Family activities expert Dr. Bra Vada Garrett-Akinsanya explains how to create a family organizing center.

Set up a home base where your family's organizational needs will be met. A good place is in or near an entryway or in the kitchen because the kitchen is often the first place members go when walking into the house.
Keep a child's-size coat rack next to the adult's coat rack in the home base. That way, the whole family's jackets are in the same place.

Figure A

Keep a small set of drawers or bins near the coat rack for items such as hats and mittens, baseball gloves and caps. Label one drawer per person (figure A).

Figure B

Keep a dry erase calendar filled with important dates (figure B). Every week or two, go through it and write down birthdays, appointments, when bills are due, and other important event. Put it on the refrigerator or other surface that the whole family uses.
Make a weekly chart on the dry erase board with a list of family chores that need to get done. Under each chore, delegate a member of the family to do it. Make up a week or two of chores at a time. At the end of the week, set aside time for a special family outing as reward for everyone's hard work.
Keep a grocery list on the board. When you realize that you are out of a specific item, write it down. The next time you go to the store, you'll have your list all ready.
Install a phone at home base if there is not already one there. When an appointment is made or a play date set, you can simply write it on the board.

Figure C

Keep bills in a 30-day file organizer (figure C). Place bills in the date one week before they are due. This gives you plenty of time to pay them and get them in the mail. Keep it in an easily visible spot.
Keep a desk in the home-base area. Designate a drawer for each student in the family and have them keep their important papers there. At the end of the semester, have each child clean out their drawer, keeping only the most important items.

Figure D

It also a good idea to keep materials and supplies around such as glue, scissors and pens (figure D).

Also in this Episode

TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-655
•	Family Organizing Center
•	Decorative Lampshades
•	Homemade Jelly
•	Tip of the Day

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