(and stay that way!)
Setting up your kid’s room is one thing, but keeping it straight and tidy is entirely another. As loveable as they are, our little tykes can transform bedrooms from clean to chaos in the blink of an eye.
Tidiness doesn’t come naturally; it is a learned skill. Organization takes practice, so make it easy, fun, and part of your daily routine. Here’s how:
Involve your kids
It’s obviously easier to vet toys while kids are at school or daycare, but when it comes to keeping their room shipshape, your kids’ buy-in is essential. If children are involved in the effort, they will understand the method behind your madness and will better maintain the new, organized room.
Sort, sort, and sort again
Go through toys, books, clothing, and any other items that may have landed in your kid’s room to decide what to keep, what to donate, and what to store. This is a great opportunity to develop organizational skills and to encourage charitable giving.
Get down and take a good look from a child’s perspective
What may seem great for adults might simply be too big or too high or too difficult for little folk to manage. Think age-appropriate, accessible, and safe when it comes to organizing solutions.
Make it easy to put away and they will…honest!
Provide easy access to what your child will use or want regularly by organizing the room from bottom to top, putting necessities within reach and breakables up high. Install shelves, rods, hooks, bins, etc. at a manageable height and provide appropriate storage solutions for the space and your child.
Stick to a maintenance routine
Make tidying up part of your everyday: include some straightening up – comforter, pillows, pajamas in the hamper – before you head out for the day, and a final tidy-up – toys in the bins, clothes in the hamper, shoes away - as part of the bedtime routine. Stay on top of the clutter, and cleaning up won’t seem like such a chore.
Consider setting up zones within the bedroom
A sleep zone (bed), a dressing zone (dresser/armoire and closet), a play/reading zone (books and toys) and organize from there. Reduce clutter by taking some items out of circulation for a while – they’ll seem new when they return to the toy box.
Kids don’t always like to clean up, but they sure are proud of themselves when they do. Help them along by making it easy and fun and before you know it, your children will be following in your organized footsteps!