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Ideas to help organise your kids room
As a child, chances are the idea of cleaning your room may not have been taken upon with great enthusiasm. I mean, you’re imagination is busy running wild with potion recipes and fort construction plans, so it’s no surprise cleaning your room wasn’t exactly your number one priority.
After being asked multiple times by your parents, you’d soon realise there wasn’t any way of getting out of the dreaded task. Hence, a quick huff and a one-minute burst of energy, shoving everything straight under the bed, was the ultimate solution. Everyone was happy. Except maybe your mum and dad when they instantly caught on to your cunning tactics.
Fast forward a couple of decades, and you are now that parent who walks down the hallway avoiding all eye contact with your child’s bedroom because that chaotic state is, well, stressful and can be hard to manage.
I have put together some easy steps to help you organise your kid’s rooms or at least let you feel a little more in control of your children’s spaces.
1. Getting kids involved may be easier than you think
Kids as young as three years old may show interest in re-organising their room, especially if they see you showing interest and touching all of their precious things! Be sure to ask your child if they want to get involved in the project as excitement and ownership equals more likelihood of keeping a tidy room! Well, that could be wishful thinking, but it might help.
2. Have your little one give you a tour of their room
Ask your child to give you a full tour of their bedroom. This is a great idea because it lets you clearly see what items your child shows more enthusiasm for over others. If they love it, you can bet your bottom dollar they will let you know about it. And now that you are more understanding of their likes and dislikes, it makes parting ways with certain items an easier job.
3. Turn negative into positive
Both children and adults can face big difficulty letting go of their possessions, especially being asked on the spot to make a decision. We can help avoid added pressure by encouraging positive language around the decluttering process. Explaining that items we choose to let go of will go to another home, and other little kids will get to cherish them, rather than use the term ‘getting rid of’ or throwing away. It also creates a positive feeling knowing they are doing something kind for others.
4. Have your storage solutions ready
Ensure you are all geared up with the right solutions for the job, like storage containers, bookshelves and boxes etc. Too many times, I have found myself sitting in a pile of chaos, only wishing I had just bought those blimmen tubs I saw on special earlier that day. Cubby shelves are awesome for displaying very loved toys in an organised fashion and are easily accessible for little hands. Boxes and bags can be used as an inexpensive storage alternative.
TIP: If your house or children’s area is anything like mine and space is minimal, I keep two big clear containers full of toys in the garage, which are brought inside and rotated every 3-4 months. This helps prevent an overwhelming sense of too much stuff in one space, and each time a container is re-introduced, the kids go nuts for it!
5. Sorting and storing
Start by grouping together similar items, e.g. all animal figurines, race cars with race tracks etc. Any toys and puzzles with many loose bits and pieces, make into one pile for now, and you can sort through it later on. My kids are very young, I have a few of their most loved toys and books on display in their room, and the rest are stored neatly in tubs or boxes under their beds or in the wardrobe. If you would rather take a more relaxed approach, by all means, throw everything in a toy box, and the job is done.
6. Keeping flat surfaces as clear as possible
Kids easily accumulate a lot of stuff. You may think having lots of toys and games visible to play with should keep them occupied; however, often, the opposite can happen, and interest is lost. How many times have you said to your youngsters, “how can you possibly be bored when you have so many toys?!” Keeping many toys stored away and leaving surfaces like tables, desks, drawers as clear as possible encourages the imagination and allows more use of the free space for playing on. I find my children will focus longer if they have only one activity in front of them instead of many things trying to grab their attention at once.
7. Add a donation basket
I don’t need to tell you how quickly kids grow out of things. How is it they outgrow shoes before even having a chance to wear them?! Keeping a basket or box handy in your children’s wardrobe for anything they may outgrow, whether toys, clothes, books or shoes, you can put it all in here, and once it becomes full, it’s just a quick trip to the Sally’s.
8. Lead by example
Yep, I think the subheading says it all. Your children will learn from what they see. It may pay to check on your own space and whether you would like to maybe improve in some areas. We can always tell our children something, but modelling it is a very powerful lesson. It doesn’t need to be a drastic change in habits, even the smallest action like putting your keys in a bowl or on a hook as soon as you get in the door can be a good little lesson.
9. Keep it fun
Kids are always up for a game, and if there is any way of making tidying up fun, it’s worth giving a go. When things get messy, try counting to ten or backwards from ten, picking up ten items and putting them away. Or set a timer for ten minutes and ask how many things can we put away in that short amount of time before the alarm goes off. It makes for an exciting challenge, especially if siblings are competitive.
Author - Siobhan Reilly
Owner and Professional Organiser of Clutter Monkey
