Marie Kondo is a renowned Japanese tidying expert who has two daughters with her husband. Her husband, Takumi Kawahara, works in marketing and sales support. The couple married in 2012, and in 2015 they became partners. Takumi also takes photos for Marie Kondo’s Instagram accounts. They have two daughters, Sofia and Elsa, and are expecting a third.
The first category that Kondo suggests organizing is clothing. Children as young as three years old can be taught to sort through clothes and find only those that spark joy. However, Kondo warns that this method is time consuming and will be impossible if the kids become obstinate. Her advice to parents is to try to make the process fun for both of you.
The first step is to decide whether you want to do the project alone or ask your kids to help you. If you’re going to do it yourself, it will be much easier if you assign a specific day for it. If you’re willing to work with the children, make sure that they have a clear space for the items they own.
Once you’ve decided what items your kids own, you can begin the process of organizing them. Marie Kondo suggests assigning a certain amount of space to each category in the kid’s room. For example, if you have a child with an artistic streak, you may want to put some of his or her art in the home office. If the items aren’t framed, you might want to store them in paper tubes or binders. However, it’s best to avoid overcrowding the room with kids’ stuff.
You can also share the process of folding clothes with your kids. For toddlers, you can show them the basic KonMari fold. This will help them develop the habit of tidying clothes. If the kids are old enough to follow their parents’ footsteps, you can also show them the KonMari folding process.
Another important step in this process is to start early. Try to make the process of tidying your home as soon as you can walk. As a rule, try to get the kids to help you with the process as soon as they are old enough. This way, they can start doing it independently.
Using Marie Kondo with your children can be a great way to help them develop the habit of letting go of things that are no longer useful. She suggests using containers for each child and a special spot for shared toys. However, this may not be feasible for all families. Kids often have a tendency to collect and play with the same books over again. However, don’t pressure them into throwing away any books they don’t enjoy. Instead, give them a chance to decide if they’re still bringing them joy before you throw them away.
