There comes a time in every man’s life when you need to learn how to organize your space. My father started teaching me when I was young, and it was really helpful when I moved out and took care of my own space. Now that I have a kid of my own, I make it a point that he should learn how to clean up as early as now. Try these kids’ room organization ideas for how to help kids stay organized.
Let Them Know They Have to Clean Up
The first step dads need to take is to discuss cleaning up. Some children may not feel so keen about taking care of their home when they don’t understand why they’re doing it in the first place. Your job is to provide clarity.
Explain how chores help maintain the home to keep it as fresh and tidy as possible. They also normalize teamwork when cleaning, framing the activity as their contribution to the household rather than doing it just for the sake of it.
From there, you can build a game plan on how they can help clean up. Put them in charge of their room first, as they tend to feel the fruits of their own labor in those spaces more than in shared rooms. Discuss the tasks they should learn.
Instilling the Right Habits
Go easy on your little ones, as it’s their first time having to handle organizing the room. You can step in and show them the ropes. Execute and explain different ideas for organizing the kids’ room. Another way you can help them out is by building different cleaning habits, like:
- Having a calendar of responsibilities: For children, clear dates and times for their cleaning matters. It makes the endeavors much easier to remember and stick to. For example, Saturdays are for sorting out the clothes, while Sundays are for putting away their toys from the past week. Try to work out a schedule with them, too.
- Focusing on one thing at a time: Some kids like to finish their work fast, which can lead to multitasking. Unfortunately, feeling overwhelmed can make them scramble between responsibilities and waste time at the end of the day. Tell them to focus on one thing first and to take as much time as necessary. Speed is a lesson for another day.
- Knowing how to let go of items: There’s a limit on what you should keep and give away. I teach my son to let go of items when they don’t feel like they’re making him happy anymore. You could suggest selling them so they can get an extra allowance while finding things in a new home.
Organizing Kids’ Clothes
Learning how to organize a kid’s closet has been something I’m still working on. The best advice is to sort everything out — ask them to toss dirty clothes in the hamper and fold the clean clothes. It makes collecting laundry so much easier.
For the clean pile, suggest organizing their clothes by group. Start with the underwear, as it’s easy to tell them apart. You can then work on separating the tops from the bottoms before using subcategories like shirts, tank tops, shorts, pants and more.
Putting Away the Toys
Toys are one of the most important things to consider when discussing organization for your kid’s room. There are so many bits and pieces that allow them to go wherever, which is a recipe for disaster. Teach your little ones to collect everything in their room, perhaps having crates where they can put it.
The trick is to label each one so there’s a place for everything. You might opt to put all the soft toys into one box and hard ones in the other. Plushies can be displayed on open shelves.
Some items are a little more unique and require extra thought. For example, most children between the ages of 4 and 5 may share toys with siblings and friends. If so, you may want a separate, larger storage unit for everything in that category.
Optimizing Vertical Space
One of any parent’s biggest brain moments is taking advantage of vertical space. There’s so much that could go on in that space — you can add shelves to organize books, video games, records and other items. Another option is a pegboard where they can hang virtually anything.
Make the Most of Multipurpose Furniture
Multipurpose furniture is a child’s best friend when it comes to organization. It offers so much storage without eating up too much space. For example, loft beds with a built-in desk underneath simplify their work and play area.
Ottoman chairs and benches are also brilliant additions since they offer secret storage your little ones can use while keeping things neat. Remember to space them out so they still have some clean space. You should also teach them how to open and close them safely.
Zone Out Spaces
Another kids’ room organization idea you can use is to zone out different spaces. You may want to give your kid a personal play area where they can play with their toys and a study area where they can focus on homework. Separate these with small indicators like the color of the furniture or area rugs.
You may also want to have a dedicated creative space for your kids. Creative individuals achieve high levels of educational attainment and end up in higher occupational categories. Give them the tools and outlet they need to cultivate their talents.
Give Gentle Reminders
Kids can be a little forgetful sometimes, and it’s important to exercise patience and gentle parenting. Remind them to put away their items when the mess gets too overwhelming. You can even suggest helping them by focusing on the closet while they work on the toys. After all, teamwork makes the dream work.
Cultivate Organizational Skills in Kids
You can get your child’s mess out of the way while teaching valuable life skills. Try out these kids’ room organization ideas with yours and see what sticks. Remember to help them by answering questions and reassuring them that they’re doing the right things.