Common Items Children Lose

Kids are notorious for losing things. They seem to have a special talent for it. It can be frustrating as a parent when you constantly have to replace lost items. Here is a list of common items kids lose and tips on how to help your kids keep track of their stuff!

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

The best way to make sure that your kids don’t lose stuff is to ensure that they don’t have too many of the same items. If they have five school bags, it is easy to forget which one they carried to school.

Organizational Skills

One tip to remember the next time you go shopping is to assign each kid a color. Then make sure you buy everything for that child in that color. Child #1 has red – red water bottles, red hangers, red cups, a red backpack, red towels, etc. This is a great idea and a first step toward organizing your house.

How to Help Your Kids Keep Track of Their Stuff

Shoes

Shoes can be notoriously difficult to keep track of, especially with growing feet that are constantly changing sizes. A good way to help your kids remember where they left their shoes is by creating a shoe cubby or organizing system. Place all the pairs near the door and make sure each kid has their designated area for their footwear.

ProTip: If all family members take their shoes off as soon as you enter the house, you keep your house cleaner. Additionally, you will reduce household chores. Cleaning floors will not take as much time.

Backpacks

Kids often forget which locker or desk at school they put their backpacks in. This leads to lots of running around looking for it. To avoid this problem, try buying backpacks with brightly colored designs and patterns that stand out in a sea of navy blue and black bags. Also, some people get their child’s name embroidered on the bag, so there is no mistaking which backpack is theirs. However, I am personally opposed to this method. For example, it becomes easy for predators to learn your children’s names when it is plastered all over everything.

ProTip: Helping kids keep track of their belongings is easier if you have systems in place. If your children have a place to put their backpacks as soon as they get home, it will be a breeze to find them.

Homework

Homework assignments and projects can often get lost between classes, especially if a teacher gives out papers that look identical to those from another class. To avoid this problem, buy folders specifically for each subject. Then encourage your child to put all their work in those folders when they get home. Also, having a designated place to keep track of important documents and papers can help avoid lost or misplaced assignments.

ProTip: If your child’s teacher has a private email list or social media account where they post special assignments, make sure to join. This prevents finding out about projects the night before.

Toys

If toys are not put away after playing with them, it’s only a matter of time before they disappear. To avoid this problem, create an organized system for toy storage, such as colorful bins or baskets that your child can easily access and use to store all the pieces from each set. If possible, try to designate a specific area for each type of toy so that everything is kept together and easy to find.

ProTip: Only keep a handful of toys where your children have access to them. Put other toys away and rotate “the new” toys in and out of the main toy area. This is a great way to keep your children engaged with the toys that they have. Too many toys with too many parts can get lost easier. Plus, younger kids don’t have the time management and organizational skills necessary to keep parts altogether.

Jackets/Coats

It seems like no matter how many times we remind our kids to take their jackets and coats to school, they always seem to forget. To help avoid this problem, try investing in a coat rack or hook system that your child can hang their jacket on each morning when they leave for school. This way, it’s easy to track where their coat is, and there are no more excuses for forgetting it!

ProTip: Remember the color tip when buying coats for kids.

Lunchbox/Snacks

Lunchboxes and snacks are often forgotten at home when kids run out the door for school in the morning. To help ensure these items make it to school each day, you can attach a brightly colored ribbon with their name on it to the handle of their lunchbox so that there is no mistaking which lunchbox belongs to them.

ProTip: Remember, each child gets a color. It is easy to pack and see who has taken their lunch and brought their lunchbox back home.

Electronics

We all know how important smartphones, tablets, and laptops are to our kids’ lives these days – but what happens when they forget to bring them to school? To avoid this problem, try getting a designated pouch or bag just for electronics that your child can easily store their devices in and always have with them when they leave the house. For a more techy way, go to blog article about how to retrieve iPhones using their location history.

Keys

From car keys to house keys, our kids must remember to bring them wherever they go. To help keep track of all these important items, buy a bright fob or keychain that your child can attach all their keys on and easily find whenever they need them. This way, you won’t have to worry about any lost items!

Helping your kids learn to keep track of their stuff is a lot easier if they see you with systems in place for your stuff. If you regularly ask, “Have you seen my phone?” Or “Where are my to-do lists?” your kids will have difficulty finding their stuff. If you can’t ever find yours and you are a mess of missing items chances are good, you kids will develop that habit. Get your schedule right before expecting them to.

The good news is that it is never too late to learn. Start at any age to help your kids keep track of their stuff. However, don’t try to tackle too much at the same time. It is a good idea to have an action plan in place and take baby steps.

ProTip: Make sure to reward positive behavior. When you catch your kids putting their stuff where it belongs, sometimes you don’t notice a lack of clutter or disorganization. Positive words can really motivate kids in the long run.

Keeping track of all our kids’ belongings is no easy feat – but if we take the time to create a system and organize their items, it can help make life much easier for everyone. By following the tips above, you’ll be on your way to a less stressful morning routine with no more lost items!

Help you and your kids improve their memory.