Organizing Kids With Order Out Of Chaos

Disclaimer: I received products to review. All opinions are my own.

I have always been very organized. As a kid, my books were alphabetized and I even made my brothers "check out" and sign out books if they wanted to borrow one. I know that sounds a little crazy, but organizing has always been how I dealt with anxiety, so at times I did go overboard.

When I was about 8, I started using a calendar and would basically copy what was on the family calendar and had it in my room. It helped me feel more in control. At about 10, my mom bought me a filofax style personal planner. I was in heaven. For years, I had watched my mom work in her planner and now I could be like her. I took it everywhere with me.

Honestly, it was a type of therapy. If I was feeling overwhelmed, I could pull out my planner and look through it, maybe even write some thoughts down, or plan something out. It would help me take a break from the anxiety and get in control of myself. I still do this to this day. In fact, when Tbomb was in the hospital for a week, I grabbed my planner at the last minute and was so glad I did. I could take the time to work through things and it is normal for him to see mom working in her planner.

My son doesn't like feeling like he is not in control either. I've tried different things and some things work ok, but nothing has been a big game-changer. When Order Out Of Chaos contacted me, I decided to try the planner route. It might also help him learn organizational skills. Me organizing things for them might not have been such a good idea because neither kid is very organized.

When it arrived, Tbomb was so excited. I think because I use mine every day, it makes him feel grown-up. He was excited to write things in it and use stickers. He started asking me about all of the dates that he should know. His excitement was contagious, so we sat down together and had fun with putting dates in.

The Order Out of Chaos academic student planners have a feature I love and I'm trying to work out how to do it in my own planner. At the sides, the kids write their subjects once- for the whole year. The paper is smaller so that the subjects show as each page is turned.

I also love that after school is separate, helping kids visualize things. The cover is also plastic, making it sturdy enough for kids to use. The spiral is durable as well. There is also a clear pocket in the back to keep up with things.

Tbomb was also sent some accessories- a sticker sheet, month tabs, and a bookmark, as well as an erasable highlighter. These accessories are really making a difference!

Because we homeschool and the kids don't really have homework (although they do have things to do on their own time like practice math facts), Tbomb uses his planner a little different. He writes down exciting things from the day and things he doesn't want to forget to do the next day. He has been writing down to practice his facts and read as well. I've been very proud of him.

One thing I have really noticed is his grasping of dates. He asks me the date and finds it in his calendar. Today, he asked me if he had the date right, and he did. I was so proud of him. Because he hasn't had a need to keep up with the date, it isn't something he has really grasped yet. This Order Out of Chaos planner is making all of the difference.

Thank you Order Out Of Chaos for giving us this resource! Be sure to check out their website for lots of resources and videos to help you get your kids organized and to stay organized!