How to Keep Clutter at Bay in a Kid's Room
Whole House Organization Challenge: Week 10
Welcome to Week 10 of the Whole House Organization (WHO) Challenge, where my aim is to help us all organize our homes in 14 weeks or less. I have a special treat for you today! Fellow blogger and Mom, Kenyatta Harris of My Design Rules, is taking over my blog today to share practical tips on organizing kids' bedrooms.
You’ve been feverishly organizing every room in the home and want it to STAY organized. If you’ve followed a precise plan from the beginning, simply maintaining your system should do the trick.
But what happens when you have little ones who play and make chaos all day? When kids don’t quite get the ‘a place for everything and everything in its place' concept, then what?
You don't change a thing that's what. Instead, you patiently teach them early on and they’ll learn it right? Well, it's not quite that easy.
But be assured, you can teach your kids to maintain systems you've set up for order. Regularly adjusting your organizing plan to fit your child's needs is the key.
oday I'll show you how we teach our son organization tips that we hope will help him for a lifetime.
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I created a few zones for my son’s room when I designed it. There's enough playing space but I also designated an area for his toys, books, and studying. Every few months or so, we take a look at the space to make sure it’s still working for him. He’s growing and his needs change often.
Zone One: Taming Toy & Book Clutter
We use these cheap-y toy bins to sort small toys. They work great, and consistent purging helps us keep track of things he’s actually using. The bins also let us know when it’s time to let stuff go. If they are overflowing, it’s time to get rid of things.
You’ll notice in the photo that the bins have chalk labels but no writing. In the interest of letting my son’s room be his room, he gets to write all the labels himself. His writing is typical of a little boy - not perfect - but he understands it, and that's what is most important. Sure, I could have faked some beautifully written labels for this post…but that’s just not my thing so I snapped these photos right after our last purge before he had a chance to write on them.
When I first began this system, he’d throw any and everything in the bins including broken crayons and misc toys. To prevent this, I started doing spot checks. I’d dump everything out and force him to sort. He HATES that. Let’s just say he’s better at sorting after play now.
My little one is also a bookworm; a habit we formed early. We store all his books on the picture ledges you saw in the first photo. It’s a system that’s super easy for him to maintain and looks great.
“BONUS TIP: We buy a ton of books from the thrift store for next to nothing and trade them out constantly. We know it’s time to purge when no more fit on the shelves.”
Zone Two: Study & Costume Storage Area
I created a study area with this IKEA desk. The bins and buckets hold pens, markers, and pencils. A file folder holds important papers, and the bulletin board is a spot to put whatever he wants. No other holes are allowed on the wall!
I must be vigilant about that little drawer on the desk. If I turn my back for too long, he’ll stuff it full of junk. It doesn’t get much use because he’s only 8 doesn’t need a lot of office supplies.
My little man will wear a costume anywhere we go if I let him. I tried hanging them in the closet, but he couldn’t reach them. Then I found this little dresser at the thrift store for $5 and gave it a makeover with chalk paint and paint samples. Now he uses it to store all his costumes.
“BONUS TIP: Purchase kids costumes at the thrift store or catch them on clearance in November. Things that don’t fit get donated or trashed. If we buy a new costume and the drawers are full, we purge.”
Zone Three: Keeping the Closet Under Control
The closet. I have to be honest, I wish I could show you a closet that was all decked out. But I have to draw the line of sanity with decorating somewhere. My design philosophy puts function first so this closet functions, but that’s about it.
It’s not a fancy schmancy, oooh pin this spot, but umm it’s a room for an 8-year old. He doesn’t care. BUT this system works. We store very large bulky toys to the right, (skateboards, hoverboard and skates here) his shoes go on the rack and the dirty clothes go in the hamper. It can’t get any simpler than that.
I will say the shoe rack has changed our lives for the better. We no longer have to wait for him to find his shoes because the rack forces him to put them away rather than toss them in and make a mess.
Up top, we store all the board games. They’re out of reach for a reason. When they were in reach, he’d take them all out at once and we’d end up with pieces everywhere. If he wants a game I go up there, get it down and he has to ask for the next one. He’s an only child so that doesn’t happen often. Again, nothing fancy but it works.
All his other clothes are stored in the drawers on the platform bed. These zones and systems are easily made and are extremely budget friendly.
ith regular maintenance, I’m able to make sure we don’t hoard junk, keep a tidy room and teach him principles of cleaning and organizing.
How do you keep your little ones' places in order?
Hey there, I’m Kenyatta Harris, a self-proclaimed Home Décor and DIY enthusiast. I teach principles of designing a home and life based on my simple core values at www.mydesignrules.com. I’m married to my college sweetheart, Lemuel. We have one amazing son, Jaylin, and call Tampa, Florida home. I love to share home décor ideas through my filter of rules, but I’m more interested in developing an authentic relationship with you. Come chat with me!
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