If your child’s room looks like a tornado hit despite their best efforts to clean it up it is time to take action! Kids are great collectors of clutter, which unfortunately leads to the messy and disorganized rooms that drive parents to distraction. Getting a handle on the clutter, toys, and various childhood paraphernalia is possible without putting in a petition for emergency disaster relief! Organizing a child’s room is not as daunting of a task as it may appear. The key is to simply get started, and then proceed in an orderly fashion.
To begin, you need to get rid of everything your child no longer plays with on a regular basis. This means removing all old toys, broken toys, toys & games that are missing parts, trash, etc from their room. This can be a difficult process for your kids (after all, what may look like junk to you just might be a treasure to them), so be sympathetic but firm. It is also at this point that things will take a turn for the worse before they get better! You will need to empty out closets, drawers, shelves, containers, etc to make sure that everything in your child’s room is accounted for. The mess will look horrendous, but persevere! Discarded items can be sorted into different categories such as: things to hold for the next garage sale (this is a great way to get kids motivated… tell them they can have the proceeds from anything they put in the garage sale), things to donate to charity, items you wish to put into storage and save, and items that must be put in the trash. Items that are to be saved should be stored in appropriate containers and immediately moved to the location in which they will be kept to keep them out of the way.
Once the dust has settled from getting rid of the unwanted clutter, it is time to take a hard look at what is left. Sort through your child’s remaining possessions by dividing them first into categories (for example, put all the action figures and their accessories in one pile, all the toy cars in another, the same can be done for dolls and their clothes, board games, arts & crafts supplies, etc), and then sort through those categories to make sure that everything within them is complete (the games have all their pieces and so on). Once you have a good feel for the quantity of stuff your child is going to keep, it is time to purchase the hardware necessary for them to maintain it in an organized fashion.
There are many storage options available today. Chain discount stores are a great place to shop for a wide variety of economical storage solutions. Hard plastic storage containers are one of the most practical options available. They come in a huge array of styles and sizes. Most come with lids, and are stackable which makes for great space economy when storing them. Clear plastic containers work great because they allow your child to see what is in the box without having to remove the lid, or dig through a stack of boxes. Choose containers that are sized appropriately for what will be stored in them. By buying containers that are only as big as is necessary and not any larger you can save space. However, you also need to keep in mind whether or not the item(s) being stored is a growing collection that will need extra storage space in the near future. If so, plan for that expanded growth when buying a storage container. In addition to lidded boxes, there are also block containers (such as Yaffa Blocks) that are very helpful for organizing items such as books and games. The blocks are designed to rest either on their sides or on their bottoms, and stack one on top of the next in either position. They come in a wide variety of colors, and when stacked together on their sides create a functional and attractive shelf unit. Many stores also sell shelves that are built to hold hard plastic storage buckets (that come with the unit). These units are great for younger children, and all their small toys. The plastic buckets are usually very colorful, and most come with stickers decorated with pictures of various toys that can be applied to the buckets to help your child remember where things belong. Traditional shelves are also an excellent storage option, although they are more expensive than the other methods listed so far. Kits for wooden ‘Do-It-Yourself’ shelving units can be found at most hardware stores, and are an excellent solution for older children. The wooden units are attractive, and allow for a great deal of customization.
Once you have settled on a method of storage, transfer all your child’s toys to their new homes. While you are doing so, you can add an addition sorting step to the process divide the toys between those your child plays with often, and those that are only played with occasionally. The toys that are played with less should be placed in higher or harder to reach areas. The toys that are played with on a regular basis should be the most accessible. It is a good idea to label the boxes in a method your child understands (pictures for small children, words for older children who can read). It will take a while for your child to get into the habit of putting things where they belong. Having well labeled boxes & shelves will remind your child of their possessions correct storage location until putting them away in the right spot becomes habit.
Once or twice a year it will be necessary to go back through your child’s room and reevaluate the storage system and make changes to accommodate new toys or changes in play habits. You will also need to periodically clean out trash and broken toys. Keeping on top of the clutter and maintaining your chosen method of toy storage will prevent your child’s room from ever becoming a disaster area again!
