Put Your Zones to Work With your zones established, everyone can work together to make sure all important items end up in their proper places instead of leaving it all up to Mom and Dad to keep them in order. The key is establishing a routine everyone follows as soon as they come home. “One of the best routines I’ve seen started with a kitchen table or island that had been cleared so that as soon as the kids walked in the door, they flopped their backpacks on the table, took their lunch things to the kitchen and then dug out papers for mom and dad to tend to,” Sheri says. “Mom or Dad sorted the papers into their file folders and everything was processed right there, right away.” Afterward, the kids can head to their homework zones, have a snack or take care of chores—whatever’s next on the schedule. When homework is done, they pack up and stow their backpacks in the drop zone so everything’s ready for the next morning. It can take a while to get everyone on board with the routine, but don’t give up. “When the pattern is repeated consistently each day, the children develop self-discipline,” Sheri says. Remember Your Goal In the end, these zones and routines are about the kids—not about being organized. Your goal is to focus less on keeping order at home and more on enjoying your time at home as a family.
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