Children’s rooms are often magnets for clutter from assorted clothes, toys, books, papers, stuffed animals, games, equipment and way, way too many pieces of things–tiny pieces from Barbie dolls, games, Legos and more. It can drive a parent crazy trying to keep track of it all. Thankfully, with the patience and persistence of an organizer, we can make sense of the most cluttered of kid’s rooms.
It can often feel overwhelming for parent’s to get a handle on a child’s room with so many things that have been purchased and given to the kid. Presents for holidays and birthdays and things they pick up along the way can make it daunting as how to deal with what’s there. Add in school work and sports gear and you have a recipe for clutter. The process begins with clearing and sorting through all the things. Get bins to sort all the various pieces that belong to games and doll accessories and then create permanent containers for them clearly labeled. Make sure you have plenty of accessible storage/closet space for games which can be stacked provided their boxes are still good. If they have collapsed, then discard the box and put its remaining contents into its own bin with a label on it. If you have many Lego sets with multiple pieces, then ziploc baggies work great with the manual inserted so the child knows what set it is and how to assemble it. Proceed the same way with doll accessories and give them a home so all the mini pieces can coexist together.
Discard games children have outgrown, that is, pass them onto other children who can use them. Goodwill doesn’t take toys, though Salvation Army does. If a game is only partially whole, recycle what you can and toss the rest. Let go of stuffed animals that are no longer used. They can be laundered and passed onto other kids. Create specific zones for games and toys. Toy bins are okay if they hold one category, such as sports toys, plush toys and the like.
Older children need a desk to work at and a clear space in which to produce their homework and get things done. A cluttered desk leads to a cluttered mind, and kids can easily misplace papers and homework in a disorganized space. Teach kids filing systems so they know where their papers and homework are–assignments that are completed and ones to be turned in. This will save kids and parents a lot of arguing and anguish. Keep systems simple so they can follow them. Minimize paper as much as possible. Either keep old artwork and assignments elsewhere so the most current things are in their view and for their usage. Clear, flat bins can hold artwork and papers and labeled for each school year or tossed if you don’t want to save this.
Clothes are another issue and having the right storage systems are key. Kids need to be able to reach hanging clothes in a closet so keep closet poles low for everyday usage and an upper pole, if needed, for seasonal and less accessed clothing. Dressers divided by drawers for undies, socks, tees, and pants work well. Continue to cull through clothing for things kids have outgrown and no longer wear. Pass on items that can still be worn or toss that which is worn out or damaged.
The key is keeping it simple so kids have the advantage for keeping their spaces orderly. If you have the space for a devoted playroom, this eliminates excess toys in the child’s room. Otherwise, bins, baskets and toy chests can help with containing the many parts to a kid’s room.
Cal Creative Space Organizing if you need help organizing your child’s room. Call 510.501.1213 today and let’s get started.