Daily Dish - Clutter-busting kids' rooms
Categories: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Teens & tweens, Chores
Although kids tend to accumulate more things than the average adult, they are often relegated to the smaller bedrooms in the house.Trying to keep all that accumulation neatly organized can be a daunting task. Here are just a few ways we've come up with to keep our clutter in check:
- Are all those Happy Meal toys, random boxes, broken hair accessories and outgrown clothing items taking up valuable real estate? Make one day each month a clean-up and give-away day. If it is broken, throw it away. Otherwise donate it. Donating usable items to benefit others will not only keep the floors clear, but will instill in your child the joy of helping others.
- Involve your child in the organization process. Mine decided the best way to keep her clothes in order was to separate them by color. Not only did this make getting dressed each day a little more efficient, she insists on hanging up her clothes herself because only she knows their proper place. This idea works just as well for toys and other items. If you let your child take some ownership and have some input, they are more likely do their part in keeping things neat.
- I am a big believer in clear, plastic bins. Clearly labeled and stacked, they hold tons of stuff while keeping everything easily accessible.
- Last, but certainly not least, is the five minute cleanup. This is done each night before bed and is non-negotiable. For younger children, you may have to help, but setting a timer and putting things away for five minutes each night goes a long way to preventing out-of-control messes. We turn on the music to make it seem less like a chore and more like fun.
Recent Posts
- Weekend Fun and Games (7/03/2009)
- Kids and Extracurriculars - When Do You Let Them Quit? (7/03/2009)
- Twitter Follow Friday on ParentDish! (7/03/2009)
- Lush Lashes (7/03/2009)
- Abigail Breslin Makes $13 a Week (7/03/2009)
