Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in West LA, CA

Today we welcome Abbey Claire Keusch of Abbey Claire Organizing, a professional residential organizational service. Organization has always been an important part of the way she feels and functions in her home, but three years ago she discovered NAPO, the National Association of Professional Organizers and has never looked back. She founded Abbey Claire Organizing in 2006 and works with families, busy professionals and everyone in between to help them order their lives to be more comfortable and functional. In her previous life, however, she was a preschool teacher for six years so she knows just how crucial having an organized space is to a young child.

I've always been organized, but I've been professionally organized for about two and a half years. In my other life I taught preschool. Every September, for six years, I welcomed fifteen new preschoolers into my classroom for the first time.  Before they arrived, things needed to be in order! Each child needed a cubby, bins and baskets needed labels, grown-up things needed to be out of reach and ultimately the room needed to serve as a home-away-from-home.  Organization was the key. My job as a teacher was to foster independence, self confidence and self control (and keep melt-downs and chaos to a minimum.) The road to achieving these goals was paved with rules, boundaries, reasonable expectations and consistent reinforcement. And equally important, this room needed to be easily maintained and maneuvered by these preschoolers, both psychologically and physically.

What I learned in my experience with preschoolers is that they love to help create the rules. And they will be more willing to maintain the rules if they've participated in creating them. Talking about why rules are important, that rules are there to keep them safe will reinforce them as well. Provide support while these rules are learned (and broken) and show the connection between actions and potential consequences. 

Setting boundaries and consistently enforcing them helps build independence. Preschoolers find comfort knowing what to expect next. Making daily routines predictable will help them pace themselves and accomplish their activities throughout the day. As preschoolers are performing tasks and routines be sure to allow the enough time to complete the task - getting dressed, washing hands, cleaning up toys. Rushing can cause frustration!

My goal as a teacher was to provide a safe environment where my preschoolers could build social skills in a developmentally appropriate environment. My goal as a professional organizer is to leave a client's home knowing they can function in their space. Knowing that preschoolers thrive on organization and structure, here are some ideas to create a functional and developmentally appropriate space in your home:  

1. Make time and work together. Organize the space with your child. Sorting, counting and grouping toys are a great way for children to learn and have fun and donating unwanted toys to children in need will teach your child about sharing.

2. Store toys in smaller bins rather than in a large chest where things can get lost. Use clear bins so the contents are visible and label each bin with a picture of what's inside.

3. Store the bins on the floor or low shelves where your child can reach them. (This also makes for easy clean-up.) Install hooks at your child's level for hanging dress-up clothes, bags, hats, etc.

4. Rotate toys and games. Leave out a reasonable number at a time. Some items will never be missed (and can quietly be donated). When toys are outgrown, give them away. Get yourself and your child in the habit of going trough the toys every few months. You'll end up with less clutter and your child will learn how to let go.

5. Create rules for play time and clean-up time. I like to call one of these rules "1 out 1 in." Before a new toy can be brought out, something needs to be put away. New habits take time to become routine so be consistent with your expectations and enforce the rules and consequences for breaking them. Most importantly, whatever rules you create, make sure they are manageable by your child; and always leave time for clean-up.