LESS is MORE

Is your family life looking a little messy? Get organised! Simplify your parenting style to slow down and focus on what really matters.

Tantrums, unruly kids rushing around all day and a chaotic, messy home sometimes it becomes too much. We want what's best for our children but less can be more: less stimulation, less choice and less scheduled activity. When your family life goes from busy to frenetic, take a time-out. Pause. Breathe. And restore calmness and happiness in your life with Simplicity Parenting.

DECLUTTER

Having too much stuff can be distracting and overwhelming. Reduce toys by discarding broken, developmentally inappropriate (too old, too young), high stimulation (video games, flashing lights, noisy battery-operated) and duplicate toys (one instead of five teddies). Keep their favourites nearby and visible and store the rest out of sight. Then, circulate them like a toy library - the same with books.

"As you decrease the quantity of your child's toys and clutter, you increase their attention and capacity for deep play," says Kim John Payne, the education expert who came up with the term 'Simplicity Parenting'. He advises to declutter the entire home, down to the lighting and noise, to reduce sensory overload.