Do you colour code your children?
I definitely do! Colour coding your children seems to be a common organising strategy amongst professional organisers. Most Professional Organisers that I have spoken to with young kids all organise their children’s belongings by colour.
Colour coding your children, or organising your children using colour, is a simple and efficient way to organise their belongings.
How do you colour code your children?
In the simplest of terms, you assign a different colour to each child. All generic household items within the house that that child uses, are that colour. A blue bath towel, a blue swimming towel, a blue drink bottle, a blue lunch box, a blue cup, a blue dressing gown, a blue toothbrush and so on. Your other children could be pink or aqua or any colour you choose (or they choose!). The important thing is that you assign each of your children a different colour. Just make sure that you choose colours that your children like and are widely available in the shops, otherwise, it may prove difficult in sourcing items.
What are the benefits of colour coding your children?
Colour coding your children often makes life easier for both children and parents.
Benefits for our children
It is easier for children to quickly identify which item is theirs. If there is a collection of identical drinking cups on a table, it can be difficult for a child to know which cup they have been drinking out of, but if we assign a different coloured cup to each child, and that child knows that their items are always blue, the confusion over whose cup is whose is automatically eliminated. It also limits the chances that they will drink from their sibling’s cup. This theory applies across all areas of the home. Toothbrushes, hairbrushes and towels in the bathroom. Raincoats and gumboots. Lunch boxes, backpacks and drink bottles. You name it you can colour code it by physically purchasing the item in that colour or if this is not an option you could always add the relevant coloured sticker dot.
Benefits for us as parents
Not only does it make life easier for the child, but for us as parents. As decisions around colour have been made in advance, as a parent we already know which cup or drink bottle to give each child. We are not having to make a decision throughout the day as to what coloured cup or towel to choose. This reduces the likelihood our little darlings are going to complain about the decision we made. I’m sure you are familiar with the complaint “But that’s not the cup I wanted” or “I wanted the Spiderman drink bottle today” when they almost always ask for the hulk drink bottle.
It also helps with keeping tabs on which child is leaving their belongings everywhere around the house. As a parent, you can quickly identify who’s the culprit without discussion. We can see who’s not hanging up their bath towels in the morning or who’s not putting their cups or plates in the sink, simply by taking note of the colour.
Colour coding our children does makes life easier. In one quick grab, when running out the door for a swimming lesson, you can just say “Okay purple child – purple towel, purple goggles, purple swimming cap. Let’s go.” This is especially helpful when you’ve got four children! All the purple is together and you know that you got everything for the right child. Fewer fights, fewer arguments, and much easier to manage for us as parents!
If you are currently feeling a little overwhelmed and are interested in more strategies for organising your family, you might be interested in reading our article titled Do you feel like you are drowning in your own life? or 4 timesaver tips for maintaining an organised home.
