How to help DC keep hold of their stuff?!

[FusionChefGeoff]

DS(7) is very sporty so has lots of before / after school clubs and weekend football / rugby.

He also has lots of kit that's used for multiple sports eg thermal leggings, gloves, boots etc

How can we help him keep hold of everything?!?!

Not a week goes past without something going walkabout and we've just had to replace some things that never turned up.

He has a sports bag in which to keep it all - but last week that got mixed up with the PE bags in school so he was without everything for a whole week until it surfaced!

Oh an obviously we go through water bottles like there's no tomorrow.

Any tips!??

A good start is to make him pack it before he goes to each club or event...the action of putting it all in might make him more aware of what needs to go back in at the end. Encouraging him to put things he's used but doesn't need at that moment back in the bag rather than dumping it on the ground or bench...water bottles are particularly at risk here!

Take a photo for each day of the kit that he will need. Print them out and laminate them. Give him the correct photo for each day, so he can refer to it and work out what’s missing (a bit like a visual check list).

You might have to get tough. If he has to pay for replacement gloves etc... out of his pocket money, he might take greater care!

I have the same with my 7 year old. I think I’m going to get different coloured bags, sharpie the sport/ activity on them and make him pack them as soon as the kit is clean.

He needs a bedroom upgrade anyway, so might incorporate hooks for the bags.

I have found that smaller draw string bags within the larger bag are helpful. Plus a boot bag with shin pads & mouth guard in. The you can always say have we got the boot bag.

Multiple sets of under layers and gloves are a must though.

I use giant sew on labels, which I sew on the outside of clothes. Things stopped going missing then. I would also check changing rooms afterwards.