Organization

Organization is the thinking skill that helps an individual take a systematic approach to problem solving by creating order out of disorder to accomplish a goal. Organization involves learning how to collect all of the necessary materials to complete a task while being able to step back and examine a complex situation. For example, a child is using organizational skills when she is taking time to get all her notes together before starting to study for a test.

Video games can help improve Organization by allowing kids to practice their Organization skills while in the midst of a fun and immersive gaming experience. Many games require that a child accumulate and organize objects, items, or money in order to progress through the game.

Watch the video below to learn more about how video games can help your child improve her Organization thinking skill.




Featured Organization Games and Beyond Games
Pick a Flexibility game or other digital technology (Beyond Games) from the lists below.

Learn More About Organization

Flexibility involves the capacity to improvise, to shift approaches, and to adapt to the demands of a situation. Developing novel strategies and shifting one's attention from one task to another are often necessary. Flexibility involves recognizing the need to utilize different problem-solving strategies, including reflective, careful approaches or random trial-and-error approaches.

Flexibility is often utilized in social situations and peer interactions and it is an important part of a child's ability to transition between activities.  It helps individuals deal with disappointments and shifting expectations, and it helps children deal with unexpected events and changes in their routines.

Skillful application of flexibility is seen in when children:

• are able to think on their feet and adapt readily to new situations.
• do well with transitions, such as leaving game play to sit down at dinnertime.
• are able to wait their turn so that a younger child can have a first opportunity to do something.
• recognize that they may need to practice something rather than be able to learn it after their first attempt.
• are able to deal with disappointment when they lose a game or when expectations change suddenly.
• are able to view situations from others' perspectives.

Unskilled use of flexibility is seen when children:

• experience significant problems with changes, transitions, and new situations.
• get stuck by utilizing the same ineffective problem-solving strategies that did not work for them in the past.
• become inappropriately insistent and indignant in situations.
• become angry when given the feedback that they are wrong.
• have difficulty understanding the differing expectations of parents and teachers.
• continue to dwell on something that was said to them in the past.
• cannot change their plans readily.

Home and school flexibility that require time management:

• trying out new activities or tasks
• shifting from playing with friends to going home to eat dinner or do homework
• handling frustrations while attempting to complete a task
• losing a game or facing a disappointment
• transitioning from one classroom activity to another
• adjusting to a change in a routine, such as a substitute teacher or a babysitter

Hints and strategies to improve Organization:

• Teach by doing. Discuss plans for the day or verbalize the steps to complete a series of tasks, such as errands. Use calendars, sticky notes, and other visual reminders for yourself to model these organizational skills to your child. Display regular routines (such as putting your keys, wallet, and cell phone in a certain spot every day) for your child to observe.
  
  
• Purchase a journal or assignment book. Have your child write down in it everything that she needs to complete (e.g., homework, upcoming tests and assignments), as well as scheduling notes (e.g. sports games, practices, and club meetings). This will help her organize her schoolwork and will make keeping track of her assignments and activities easier.
  
  
• Use technology, such as cell phone alarms, to help your child become efficient in planning events. By having an alarm tell him what tasks must be done and when, he may be more apt to follow a routine of getting those tasks prepared and accomplished.
  
  
• Help your child break larger tasks down into smaller ones. Children with organizational problems often have a hard time prioritizing what is important and struggle to find a place to begin. By breaking down tasks with your child, you provide him with a form of structure to follow and smaller, achievable tasks to accomplish.
  
  
• Help your child develop methods for organizing his bedroom. One helpful way of doing this is to tape drawings or digital pictures to dresser or desk drawers so as to designate where the items in the picture go. Encourage him to initiate the organization by taking pictures himself of the items that he groups together.

Further Reading About Organization:

• Cooper-Kahn, Joyce, Ph.D. and Laurie C. Dietzel. Late, Lost, and Unprepared. A Parent's Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning (Chapter 15). Maryland: Woodbine House, 2008.
  
  
• Cox, Adam J., Ph.D. No Mind Left Behind (Chapter 6). London, England: Perigee Press, 2007.
  
  
• Dawson, Peg, Ed.D. and Richard Guare, Ph.D. Smart but Scattered.(Chapter 17). New York: The Guilford Press, 2009.
  
  
• Dawson, Peg, & Richard Guare. Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents. New York: Guilford Press, 2010.
  
  
• Goldberg, Donna. The Organized Student. New York: Fireside, 2005.
  
  
• Kutscher, Martin L., & Marcella Moran. Organizing the disorganized child. New York: Harper Collins, 2009.
  
  
• Meltzer, Lynn. Promoting Executive Function in the Classroom.(Chapter 4). New York: Guilford Press, 2010.
  
  
• Morgenstern, Julie and Jesse Morgenstern-Colon. Organizing from the Inside Out for Teenagers: The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Room, Your Time, and Your Life. New York: Henry Holt, 2002.
  
  
• Moss, Samantha, and Lesley Schwartz. Where's My Stuff: The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books, 2007.
  
  
• McCloskey, George, Perkins, Lisa A., & Bob Van Divner. Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties. New York: Routledge, 2009.
  
  
• Richard, Gail J. and Jill K. Fahy. The Source for Development of Executive Functions. East Moline, IL: Lingua Systems, 2005.

What's Next?

Next, it's time to play Shape Switcher. Click the "Shape Switcher" link in the navigation bar or click here.

Remember, you don't need to play all three games in one session. In fact, in order to give the lessons a chance to sink in, it would be best to play them on separate days.