Updated to add: This giveaway is now over. The winner is #34 Enjoy Birth
Hello again Org Junkie blog readers! I’m Aby from Simplify 101 and I’m so excited to be back guest blogging today (& doing a giveaway as well at the end of this post!). I’m happy to share with you a little taste of simplify 101 and some of my ideas on organizing with kids. But first a little bit of back ground…
Right after becoming an organizer, I realized some of the spaces in my home didn’t look like they belonged in the home of a professional organizer. My daughter’s bedroom was right at the top of that list! She was a four year old who loved her stuff. All of it! The stuff was coming in—from birthday parties, Christmas, gifts from grandparents—faster than we could keep up and clear things out. This, coupled with my daughter’s sentimental side, made it difficult to keep her room clutter free…which made me doubt myself as a parent and an organizer.
Fast forward six years and I have learned a lot about how to organize with kids. Even more important, my kids have learned a lot! In fact, my son, now 12, organized his closet on his own after a recent shopping trip. I didn’t ask him to do it…he wanted to do it and he did it all by himself. All those years of going through his stuff together and involving him in the process of organizing paid off!
Today I want to share some of my favorite tips for organizing with kids. I wrote this article right after my kids and I organized their bedrooms and closets when they were much younger. My son Collin was just six, and my daughter Kailea was four. We were getting their rooms decluttered and organized to create space for the inflow of stuff that comes in during their November and December birthdays…and that other big “toy” holiday in December!
Years later, now that my kids know how to organize on their own, I’m so happy I started them out young. Sure, we still enjoy doing it together, but it’s nice to know that one day when they move out, they’ll know how to declutter, let things go and create organized spaces they love…all on their own. I hope you enjoy these tips and that they inspire you to organize with your kids.
11 Tips to Conquer Your Child’s Clutter
Tip #1: Have a goal for getting organized
I’ve found with my kids, “Mommy’s losing her mind with all this clutter” isn’t a terribly compelling motivation to clean up. Create a goal your child can understand and relate to. For my kids, helping other children was very motivating. A local Children’s Charity called to say they were going to be in our neighborhood just as we were getting ready to organize their rooms. (Lucky me!) My kids were both very excited about giving their things to children who didn’t get many new toys for Christmas and kids who needed clothes to wear. By having a set time for the pick-up we had a deadline, fueling our motivation even further.
When you set out to tackle your kid’s room or closet, call charities in your area to see if they’ll pick up your items. Also, consider adding an incentive for your child by promising a special treat like a trip to the ice cream shop or a movie rental.
Tip #2: Use a simple sorting system
One by one, I picked up items off the floor and cleared out the closet. I held up each thing and simply asked my kids “yes or no?” The “yes” items went into a keep pile, sorted by type. (Cars together, dolls together, etc.) We put “no” toys, books and clothes into a bag for charity. (Collin was so into giving his things away, he even wanted to wrap them!)
With your child, set a target number of “no” items. Get really excited when your child hits the magic number. Remember to keep the enthusiasm going during the process by saying things like “just ten more and we’ve reached our goal!”
Bonus Tip: Keep some sentimental items for yourself.
If your child really gets on a roll, he may put some things in the “donate” bin that you’re not quite ready to part with. Get a keepsake box for yourself. Set a limit, either quantity (keeping only a certain number of items) or space (say to yourself “I’ll keep things in this bin only and when it’s full, I’m done”) to make sure your keepsakes don’t get out of control. It’s best if your child doesn’t catch you pulling things out of the donate bag. (We wouldn’t want to stall progress, now would we?)
Tip #3: Tackle the project in steps
If your child’s room looks like Collin’s did, you might be tempted to tackle it all at once. (Or not at all, in which case give me a call. 😉 ) Unless you’re willing to do a lot of the work yourself (or your child is an organizer in training), consider spreading the project out over several days. You might start with the floor on day one, the book shelf on day two, and one shelf of the closet on day three, and so on. Whether you organize your child’s room in one step or over a series of days, be sure to take lots of fun-filled breaks with your little one. Play with some of those long lost toys you’ve found under the bed or have a nutritious snack to fuel your energy.
Tip #4: Group toys based on how your child plays
In our house, Lego’s are “toy garbage.” Collin uses Lego’s with his garbage truck so it makes sense to store these toys together or at least near each other. In a nutshell, ask your child what makes sense to him or her, then honor it (even if it doesn’t make sense to you.)
Tip #5: Keep your child involved
Collin was putting his matchbox cars into a car carrier with compartments for each car. This is great, but very time consuming. I asked him to imagine he had cars all over the floor of his room and it was time to clean up. Would he rather dump the cars into a large bin or put them one by one into the car carrier? He chose the bin. Having had a say in the decision, he’ll be more likely to put his cars away.
Tip #6: Let your child do the tasks he enjoys most
Collin is learning how to write, so he wanted to make his own labels for his bins. I resisted the temptation of “perfect” labels and instead let Collin make them. Involving your child in favorite tasks is another way to give him ownership in the process.
Tip #7: Focus on progress
Make a big deal out of all the progress you make along the way. Try really hard not to focus on how much there is left to go through or do. Comment often on how much is done, all the great decisions your child has made and so on. You can also encourage him or her by saying things like “look what we found” or “look how much we’ve gotten done already.” Keep it upbeat and fun!
Tip #8: Keep large items in the toy box
Putting only larger items in your child’s toy box prevents smaller toys from sinking to the bottom (a.k.a. never-never land.) Another option is to group smaller toys together in containers before storing in the toy box. Toy boxes seem great in theory, until you have to go on a hunt for your daughter’s missing pink Barbie shoe. I can guarantee you it will be on the very bottom of the box. (And when you do finally find it, the shoe will be the only item left in the toy box.)
Tip #9: Label, label, label!
Once everything has a home, use labels to show where everything goes. I started to say, this will make clean up a breeze, but we are talking about kids and cleaning bedrooms. I will say this: by labeling where toys and clothes belong, it will disarm your child of the classic “I don’t know where anything goes” excuse. Have you heard that one before?
Tip #10: Store toys strategically
Keep favorite toys in reach, allowing your child easy access for play and clean up. On top shelves (those out of your child’s reach), store things you’d like to supervise your child while using, such as:
– Games or puzzles requiring adult assembly.
– Fragile or keepsake items like china tea sets and collectible books.
– Toys with lots of tiny pieces you would rather not have mixed with other toys with tiny pieces.
Tip #11: Make sure your child understands the system
You may have noticed I didn’t mention Kailea much in the article. Well, truth be known, organizing isn’t exactly her thing. I did a lot of her room on my own. This made it even more important for me to tell her exactly how I had organized everything and show her where her things go. Since she can’t read, I labeled her toy containers using packaging from her toys. I showed her the labels and asked her what she thought went in each bin or drawer. By going through this process with her, she now knows exactly what goes where. The other day I asked Kailea to clean her room. She said “Mommy, I don’t know where everything goes.” I told her to get started on her own and put away everything she could by herself. When she got as far as she could, THEN I would help her finish up. Before she knew it, she had put EVERYTHING away, on her own. Talk about proud! She was absolutely beaming.
I hope you and your kids enjoy similar results! Just remember, have fun and don’t forget the ice cream!
Giveaway:
How would you like to win a spot in Aby’s upcoming Organizing with Kids online workshop? You’ll learn a fun + fresh approach to involving your kids in the organizing process so you’re both happy with the results (and they learn how to organize)! Leave a comment on this post, sharing what you struggle with the most when it comes to organizing children and all their stuff. Giveaway will close on Tuesday, June 7th at 2:00 pm PST. Open to everyone and winner will be selected at random. Good luck!
Jodie Daniel says
Some great tips here! I have a constant battle keeping our ‘toy room’ clean. I refrained from keeping toys in their bedrooms, and put them all in one place. But my 3 & 5yo just tip their toy containers/draws upside down. They they find it too overwhelming to clean up. And I stuggle organising all the “small things” – like Barbie outfits and small dinosaurs etc. If I put them into containers…. the kids just tip them out onto the floor & not put them back again.
s says
legos! clothing (current, seasonal, “to grow into”), and all the little knick nacks and flotsam they collect and CANNOT get rid of (tears, wailing cued!)
Leah T. says
Our biggest problem seems to be letting stuff go – too much in such a small space. Getting my dd to let it go is a huge source of the drama/trauma!
Amanda says
The hardest part of organizing my son’s room is convincing my husband that some things have to go! I think he’s more attached to some of the toys than my son is!
megan says
My kids rooms are sooooo messy!! I have tried many things with no luck keeping it that way.
KellyC says
LOL! I first thought the title of this article was “Tips to Conquer your Child’s Clutter…Give away!”
I’m embarrassed to say the biggest challenge we have is just putting things away on a regular basis and unfortunately my daughter has learned by example from the rest of the house.
Meghan says
I’m in the midst of organizing my daughter’s room before school is out for the summer. Thanks for the tips they gave me the knowledge to kick it into gear and get this done. I can’t wait to include her in the reorganization process.
Bianca says
Thank you so much for these tips. . . I have been procrastinating to organize my daughter’s room/toys for a while now, I have an idea of what I want done, but didn’t know how to start. Your tips will make this project a breeze. Thank you so much for all your inspirations. . .
Libby says
I am often overwhelmed with what to do with all our son’s STUFF. The organizing ideas are helpful especially considering my challenge of living in less than 900 sq ft (not including the basement). I will be encouraged by the insights! Thanks!
Laura says
My big issue revolves around the ‘priceless’ art projects they make with paper and tape and crayons that cover their bedrooms. Heaven forbid I try and get rid of them. You would think the world had ended. How do I cut back on ‘creativity clutter’ when it is such a favorite pastime for my kiddos?
Mrey says
I take digital photos of a lot of projects. I have a box for special ones, the rest go and photograph them all. Bonus was that one Christmas I made up calendars with my daughter’s artwork and had copies made for all the aunts, uncles and grandparents. I used the digital photos and the Kodak website for this.
Rebecca says
I have two girls (2 and 4.5) who share a small bedroom. Most of their toys end up in the living areas, and I’d like a way of organizing and storing them that is kid friendly, but also adult eyeball friendly. We’re moving to a new house this month, so it’s a perfect time to create a new system.
Alicia says
My biggest struggle is keeping up with the mess. I have a 10 month old, so she can’t really “help” yet. Her favorite game: pulling every toy/book she owns off the shelves. Its exhausting trying to keep her room looking even a tiny bit neat.
Joyce says
I struggle with organizing their clothes. They grown out of them so fast, and it seems like a neverending rotation. And besides coats/jackets, hanging up their clothes doesn’t work too well around here, so the closet-space is not utilized to its fullest.
GM says
The biggest thing I’d like to organize is our time and projects, craft supplies, etc.
MemeGRL says
I have enough trouble with my own–I’d love for my kids not to suffer through disorganization too! The toys toys toys…
Janelle says
SO. MUCH. STUFF!!!! And like MemeGRL, I struggle with keeping organized myself & would love to teach them (& me!) how to keep their stuff organized. Thanks for the chance to win.
Aimee says
My biggest struggle is creating a system/schedule for my kids to clean up their messes. They keep pulling stuff out, but nothing is ever put away until I set a timer and give them x amount of minutes, then anything left on the floor goes to the garage. I don’t particularly like this method because of the anxiety the girls experience. I’d really like it to be a more cooperative experience.
Lisa Jost says
My biggest challenge is that my 11 yr old daughter has one foot in childhood, one foot in preteen, and both hands reaching for her teenage years. We can’t let go of old favorites, we want to keep trying on new interests because the world seems to be opening wider and wider every day, and we need all of the familiar-ness of our stuff to keep us grounded when all this discovery becomes overwhelming.
I say “we” because I, frankly, am not sure how to lead her through this. I want to honor her getting older, I want to keep her young, I want a clean room with less stuff – the tangible and intangible are all jumbled together, like her room…
Becky K. says
I have two kids with autism which translates into any moment being a moment of recall. What do I mean? Well, all of a sudden they remember the toy they loved a year ago and have to have it NOW. They obsess, they cry, the obsess. . . How do I keep all that stuff and still have a liveable space?
HeidiY says
I’m in the process of cleaning the kids’ room, so thanks for these great tips! I’m stuck with what to get rid of. It’s also hard to figure out the best way to store toys, games & stuffed animals. So the class would be great!
Jess says
Kids’ clutter just seems to multiply! Our problem is that I will not give away books (I am an avid reader and I want me kids to be as well) and my husband will not give away stuffed animals (because he has bought most of them for the kids). If it was not for my husband and I our kids would probably have a lot less to organize! 🙂
Caitlin says
Great article. It is so hard keeping those toys under control. They really do breed! I’ve got the toys grouped and in containers, but getting them out of the house is the real problem. You’ve provided great motivation. Thanks.
Ruth Hill says
My daughter has so much stuff and often a limited space for it, and that makes things tough for us!
Ticia says
All of the different types of toys…….
Kristen S says
I struggle with having children different ages and babies coming up in age…when to get rid of or store toys. I don’t want to have just older children’s toys…I also would love to find out how to know how many toys is appropriate at a time.
Lisa says
My kids like to get everything out at one time. When it is time to clean up, they are overwhelmed.
Bridget says
We have a very small house and although I’ve tried several methods of keeping the toys organized it never seems to last more than a day.
Marie says
Good reminders! I have a 2 1/2 year old and twin 9 month olds. I find it difficult to keep things organized where things are not getting dumped as quickly as they are put away. I also am working now to try to get things organized so it will be in place once the kids are a little older.
Annie~Savor This Moment says
One of our biggest struggles is the boys’ room. Thanks for the tips!
Our biggest problem seems to be clothes! My youngest (7) digs through everything to find his rattiest and most comfortable clothes to wear, tearing everything else up in the meantime. I’ve told him that this summer he gets 5 T-shirts and shorts sets out, everything else will be packed up or given away.
Andrea says
These are all great tips!
What I struggle with is that I have a 1yr old daughter and am not done having kids yet. I hate to give all of her clothes and toys away if I know I can use them for the next child. So I need help organizing what to put into storage. She is too young to help sort through the toys and I am not sure what toys she could live without. Her clothes are currently seperated by the size and in rubbermaids but that is way too many storage containers to keep in her closet. I though about the space bags and will probably try that since I don’t expect another child until at least a year.
Benita says
I struggle with organizing my kids stuff mostly because I am an ‘organizing misfit’…with 3 kids I don’t even know where to start and when I do start I continually get distracted. Bottom line is I NEED HELP! 🙂
Tami Sprague says
My struggle is with two small ones 4 & 5, their story books, I have a shelf but they dump them all, same for toys in toy boxes. HELP! Our play area is also the way to the back deck and their bedrooms you can’t even walk in.
Roberta says
I would love to win this class! Aby is awesome and so motivating and I am so thankful to orgjunkie to have introduced me to her and Simplify 101! I struggle most with having the playroom in my family room and it’s visible from everywhere in my home except for bedrooms. If it’s a mess, everyone can see it! It’s also some place that I like to relax in the evening and it causes stress if it wasn’t picked up that night before their bedtime. Also, the kids know where to go to find things because of my labeling system, however, they aren’t as good with putting them away. The tips shared in this post were an awesome start! : )
Enjoy Birth says
I am looking forward to that first week of summer, when I traditionally go through my boys rooms with them. I would love to win the class to give me some added inspiration!
Sarah says
My biggest struggle is that I am not a very good example to my boys with my own clutter. I would love to win the class so that I can not only help them become more organized, but maybe get some help for myself as well!
Cheryl Jaeger says
I am afraid that I am raising little hoarders. They don’t want to get rid of anything! I’ve taken Aby’s classes before and have enjoyed the organizing journey for myself, but I am at a loss as to how to get my kids on board with letting things go.
Jamila says
My biggest struggle is my daughter doesn’t always putt away things, and seems to want to keep every toy, even when they are broken or missing pieces.
Tracy Settle says
Lego’s and Video games. It doesn’t matter if it comes in a box and we keep it, I am always finding lego’s all over the house! I have 3 boys and none of them want to help out keeping it picked up and I have no idea on how to keep it all organized and get them involved.
Renee says
Those are great ideas. My challenge is that my so has autism, enjoys playing with toys, but categories are meaningless to him! I have pretty much given up trying to organize his toys. I have tried labeling compartments with pictures from packages, writing words on the labels, and having my son clean up with me. Any ideas for children who actually prefer mixing things up?
Lisa says
I really struggle with organizing my dd’s bedroom…from the books to the dolls and all their accessories, along with the arts/crafts materials, shoes (dd loves shoes), and her now growing collection of cd’s. My plan is to organize it with her help during our summer break.
Gretchen says
Getting ready to sort through my youngest’s closet. Switching out the winter clothes for summer so they are within his reach and he’ll be able to pick out his own clothes and get dressed in the morning.
Valerie says
My kids clutter struggle is trying to teach my son the blessing of giving (and of clearing out space in your room). I could do all the organizing myself, but it takes effort and time to teach him about organizing.
liz says
Love your tip of having them help so they also learn. We have a 3 and 5 year old and we struggle with living in a small home and having so many toys they love and play with.
Jennifer H says
I’m a mother of four girls who share the master bedroom. The girls are 12, 11, 8 & 4…so organizing in a way that will work for all four tends to be difficult. (And it tends to be the 12 year old who puts herself in charge of tidying behind her sisters…) After getting past 4 beds (bunk beds), 4 tall dressers and two desks…there is limited space for “toy” storage. Help?
Michele says
My daughter (10) drops things in her room. Her floor makes me twitchy to look at. She hates to cleannor organize. I’ve tried a ton of stuff but nothing works a second time.
Desiree says
I struggle with my son playing with toys in stages. Just when I think he is done playing with something and we should give it away, he loves playing with it again. I am hesitant to part with anything in case he will play with it again. Also, when he loves something, he LOVES something so his small collection of Lego, for example, has grown into a huge collection and he really plays with it all when he plays Lego. Yikes, I get overwhelmed just thinking about organizing his stuff!
Joann says
Great ideas in this post. I struggle with organizing the play space and keeping things categorized. I’ve tried limiting the types of items available for play at any time. Someone always finds something else to mix in and it quickly becomes a mess. I find it overwhelming.
Elizabeth@ReadySetSimplify says
Great tips! I’m struggling with having kids of various ages and where to keep the toys. I need to keep the bigger-kid toys away from the toddler. They all love to play in the living room and kitchen, but I’m struggling with where to keep all the toys.
Wendy H says
Loved this post. Looking forward to some organizing time with the kids TODAY! 🙂
Mrs. H says
Great ideas; Definitely an ongoing struggle with homeschool…books, supplies, papers…
SUSAN says
My kids want to keep everything!! I need to declutter!!!
Laura says
I liked this post, and I love this site! I want the kids to freely move from one thing they are playing to the next. When they have a creative new idea, I don’t want them to have to stop and clean up before getting started on it. However, when they leave all the clean up til the end of the day, they are overwhelmed by cleaning up so much at once.
Angela says
I am in total agreement with poster “Lisa” I have very similar issues with my oldest two sons who are almost 11 and 18 with “one foot in childhood, one foot in preteen, and both hands reaching for …. teenage years.” They too love all their old favorites, yet with their new interests– as the world seems to be opening wider and wider every day their rooms are getting more and more cluttered each day!! But, as Lisa stated “we need all of the familiar-ness of our stuff to keep us grounded when all this discovery becomes overwhelming.” And, I have always said we live in a home not a museum…..
To top this all off, I have twin sons with are almost 5 and while they love getting hand-me-downs from their brothers (on the rare occasion that one of them decides to part with something!) they are getting new stuff too! I am trying a loose new rule–one new toy in–means one old toy put in the garage sale bin or donation box–sometimes this works and sometimes not. Suggestions……..
Suse says
Hardest part of organizing my kids’ things is MY sentimental nature. When I announce that there are too many toys and that we should give things away to kids who have less my kids are all gung-ho to start pitching but I end up second-guessing them when they pull what I thought were their favourites off the shelf. It breaks my heart to see them want to toss something that was, for example, given by Aunt So-and-So, or handed down from friend XYZ, or that they had since they were a little baby. Can’t do it.
Joellen says
My greatest struggle with my 6 kids (quadruplets that are 10 yrs old and twins that are 7) is the constant array of toys, books and stuffed animals that are dragged, left and loved all over the house. They have designated areas for their toys, but we are in a very small house and will be moving soon to a much bigger house. How does one avoid the chaos of clutter?
Sherri says
My greatest struggle with my kids’ clutter is that I have my own struggles with getting rid of things (which I’m trying to tackle as well). But, this makes it hard for me to encourage them to get rid of anything. I really don’t want to pass this on to them!
Jenna says
I’d love some strategies to keep our three pre-schoolers organized. We’ve labelled bins and sorted toys, but there are so many things left to do.
furniture space planning says
Great ideas, thanks for sharing. It’s exactly what I needed. Now here’s to hoping I follow through.
Stephanie says
How do I label things without looking like I’m OCD or causing my child to turn into an OCD neat freak? Yes, it would be nice to not hear I don’t know where things go, but I don’t know if being called OCD and “anal” are any better? HELP!