The life-changing benefits of tidying and decluttering with the KonMari Method™ have been well-known for some time, but the debut this year of the popular Netflix series “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” has sealed the appeal of sparking joy in your life.
The international media covering the KonMari phenomenon tends to focus on the benefits for adults who have spent lifetimes accumulating things. An aspect still in the discovery stage is the perfect match between KonMari and kids, and how enthusiastically children embrace the KonMari Method. Translating the process to a “smaller” audience sparks joy for them, and for Moms and Dads.
KonMari probably isn’t for young children, say 6 and younger. It’s for the kids who are a bit older, 7 and up, who have both acquired a lot of “stuff” by that point, and are mature enough to begin making the “does this spark joy?” choices at the heart of KonMari.
As part of the process of tidying and decluttering with kids, parents are teaching their children not only the importance of making choices and how to do that effectively, but also how to make choices based on feeling—that feeling being joy.
This teaches them to be very mindful and appreciative about what they are choosing in their life—not just during the KonMari process but generally as they grow and experience various life challenges. And we all know children, teens, and young adults—especially in the Digital Age—are constantly bombarded with needing to make choices quickly.
Making good choices seems innate for some kids, but many struggle with this life skill, perhaps because of a learning disorder of some type or simply because of the learning experiences they’re exposed to in unstructured environments such as their home. Whatever the reason, those who aren’t equipped to make the right choices, and make them quickly, will often make the wrong or less desirable choice.
If you give a child a solid foundation for making good choices early in life, however, when it comes time for the big decisions—like deciding whether or not go to college—then he or she will be positioned to choose the best thing without anxiety or peer/family pressure. Then the even bigger questions become easier: What do you want to do in life? Who you will choose as a mate? Where do you want to live? Who you are going to grow into, who are you going to become?
All those choices are built on a strong foundation as children grow physically, mentally and emotionally—and not to oversimply matters, but KonMari can be an important part of that foundation. Learning how to spark joy when you’re young and deciding whether or not to keep “treasured” toys or pieces of clothing empowers children to be able to make bigger life decisions by accessing the same tool kit of empowered self-awareness and control.
The younger the child in this process, the more you’re going to have to help them make decisions or make decisions for them. But teaching them the skills so they can do it on their own is vitally important.
That’s where parents come in and play perhaps their most important role. If you can teach them these skills when they’re young, you’re really giving them something special, important and powerful—and it can all begin with KonMari.
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Christine Thorn, the Sage of Interiors, creates living spaces of comfort and serenity through the KonMari Method™, whose revolutionary category-by-category system yields lasting results. As Connecticut’s first certified KonMari consultant, Christine guides clients in a tidying journey toward keeping things that nourish the soul, while discarding the rest. Contact her by phone at (203) 772-8883 or by email at [email protected] to discuss her KonMari consulting services.