Organizing and storing expert, Emma Gordon, of Clutter.com, has worked with celebrities from Neil Patrick Harris to Jamie Lynn Sigler, and now she's sharing her decluttering tips to help you get your kids' rooms in tip top shape.
In the time it takes to cut the crust off a PB & J sandwich,
kids are able to completely wreck a clean space. A child psychologist
could probably tell you the "why" behind it, but that doesn't make it
any less of a bummer to turn around and find all the clean laundry
unfolded and sprinkled throughout the room. While no parent would place
an orderly space above their children's need for play and expression,
there are tricks to creating a kid's room that promotes both.
If
you implement one or two of these tricks when you dive in and straighten
up the kids' rooms, over time you'll have a space that's so easy and
fun to tidy the kiddos can do it themselves.
1. Create a toy rotation bin
The
simple truth behind organizing anything is that the more stuff you own,
the more time you need to maintain that stuff. That's why limiting the
number of toys and clothes your child owns will make a dramatic
difference in how much time you spend asking them to "clean up." To ease
into a more minimalist kids room, start with a toy rotation. Grab two
or three plastic bins and start filling them with groups of toys
that go together that your child is not "into" at the moment. Take the
bins and store them up in a linen cupboard or in your family storage
unit—the important thing is to keep them out of sight. You'll find that
when you bring those toys back, it will be just as exciting as bringing
in brand new toys since they haven't seen them in a while.
2. Make the closet kid-proof
You
can make clean-ups easier on your kiddos and yourself by designing a
closet that is difficult to undo. Keep folded clothes on shelves out of
reach, so your littles can't pull all the clean laundry onto the floor
while attempting to dress themselves. Or maybe add another curtain rod
at kiddo height in the closet and put just a few outfits for them to
choose from. Use plastic baskets or kitchen utensil drawer dividers to
keep socks, underpants and T-shirts from getting jumbled up.
3. Use picture labels on toy bins
Young
children have a natural desire to help, which can be encouraged with
age appropriate organizing. It's much easier for young kids to match
things visually, and when the image is bright and appealing, putting
away toys can turn into a captivating game. You can pull and print
images of the toys from a quick Google image search, or you can even use
photos of your kids' actual toys. For instance, take a photo of their
latest Lego creation and use that as the label for the Lego container.
4. Paint "shadows" for over-sized toys
Little
kids don't always get why the yoga ball is "put away" when it's next to
the closet rather than in the middle of the room. Get a can of house
paint in your child's favorite color, and paint a "shadow" on the wall
behind odd-shaped and over-sized toys to show your kids where in the
room they're considered put away. First, put all the toys in their
place, then trace an outline of each toy (scooter, rocking horse,
full-size dolly, etc.) with a pencil on the wall, then paint inside the
outline. Then, when it's time to tidy up, putting away those bigger toys
feels more like completing a puzzle.
5. Get a shovel
No,
really! When the kids' rooms have turned into total pigsties, the
quickest way to manage the mess is to scoop all the toys into a pile in
the middle of the room to sort. A square, plastic beach spade or a
kid-sized snow shovel make it really easy to gather up puzzle pieces,
crayons, Legos, and all the little bits that belong to different
playsets. Once all the toys are in a pile, you can pull up a chair and
all the relevant toy bins and have your kiddos help sort and put away
the pile. Add some flair to the shovel, and the kids will really get
into using the "bedroom scooper" to clean up their latest toy explosion.