No age is too soon or too late to teach your children a few organizational skills, starting with their own personal space. The pay off is that they may just extend that order, attention to detail, care for their belongings and general respect and gratitude into other areas of their personal life.

Businesses spend millions of dollars training their employees to get organized, prioritize, be efficient and, in general, be responsible. It may not be a priority of yours to train your kids for their future business life but you can teach them skills that will pay off in many ways in their future.

Here are a few points to get you started organizing your child's space:

1. Summer vacation is almost over. Before you spend hours buying new school clothes, supplies and everything else on your childrens list make sure you have a place to put it. So first, and most important, sort their belongings into three areas: keep, toss (torn, broken, missing parts, worn out), and donate. If you’re short of space, store out-of-season clothes in bins in the basement or attic.

2. Teach them responsibility and care for others by having them donate old, outgrown or infrequently used clothes or toys to a local thrift store or favorite charity. The rule here is that if they haven't worn or used the item of clothing, toy or supply in the past 12 months it goes. Have them accompany you rather than do it yourself!