Welcome to Week 13 of the Whole House Organization (WHO) Challenge, where my aim is to organize my home in 14 weeks or less.  

I have a special treat for you!  Fellow blogger and awesome Mom of 4,  Jessica Vanderveen of The Vanderveen House, is taking over my blog today to share practical tips on organizing kids' bedrooms.  

Affiliate links may be included in this post. This means that should you purchase a linked product, I may receive a small commission, but at no additional cost to you. To read my full disclosure click here.

Organizing Children’s Bedrooms

Let me just start by saying that “children” and "organized" are rarely found together in my vocabulary.  In our house it doesn't take long for any room to look like four little tornadoes have passed through, especially in the kids’ bedroom. We have four children age 6 and under, so it's a constant battle trying to keep everything tidy and organized.

That being said though, there are several organizational systems and strategies our family  uses that help keep the kids' bedrooms fairly tidy and functioning well.  Here are some tips that  can help you and your kids keep their bedroom organized.

1.  Give the children responsibility

One of the best things you can do is to give your child the responsibility to keep their own room clean and tidy.  There's nothing better than seeing how proud they are when they put stuff away where it should be.  In my own experience, kids love to help out and feel a sense of ownership of their room.  It also teaches them that they have an important place in the family by helping out with work around the house.

Often kids need help with tidying and organizing, so I have a few other tips and strategies that will help to keep your children's bedrooms organized.

2.  Have a place for everything

Another strategy we use it to have a place for everything.  That way when you or the kids are putting something away they always know where it goes, and should hopefully be able to find it next time they need it. Things we keep in the kids’ bedrooms include furniture, books, toys, and keepsakes.

3.  Make the bed

It is such a simple task yet it makes the room feel instantly clean and neat. There's just something nice about walking into the room when the bed is made, rather than seeing blankets all over the floor.

4.  Put away the clothes

Our kids each have their own dressers, and each drawer is organized to contain similar pieces of clothing.  It's always the same for all our dressers, so that if kids are putting away clean laundry for themselves or their siblings they know which drawer to put it in

If you've been following along with Ola's whole house organization challenge, you probably read her post on your organizational style.  I've determined I'm a piler, especially when it comes to our kids’ bedrooms. We pile our clothes in drawers, not file them.  I tried that once with my daughters t-shirts, but the filing was destroyed the second she pulled out one shirt.

Another thing is to have a hamper for dirty clothes and teach kids to put dirty clothes in the hamper, and not on the floor.

5.  Use baskets

We use baskets and storage containers for a lot of things. Baskets are a great way to contain items and still look pretty and organized. We still have two children in diapers, and store all their changing paraphernalia in a basket on the changing table.

For the most part we don't keep a lot of toys in the bedroom. We currently have three children sharing a room so there's not a lot of playing in there in between naps and bedtimes.  But if there happens to be some random toys around we just throw it all in a basket.
 

6.  Display Books

Have a designated spot for books and toys.  Hang bookshelves on the wall where kids can reach and be able to put away their own books.

Or have a dresser or side table that is designated as the book dresser and pile them there. It always looks more organized if the books are in one spot, rather than strewn about the room.

7.  Keepsakes and Closets

Keepsakes are kept either in colorful boxes on top of the kids dresser, or in their closets. In our closets we store linens, file folders with special papers, extra clothes in boxes, and other things that aren't used very often.

All these systems and strategies help us and our children keep their bedrooms fairly neat and tidy.  But when things are out of place, I try not to worry too much. After all, they are kids and they are still learning. What other strategies do you use to keep your kids' rooms clean and organized?  Please tell me in the comments below.

To be the first to know about new posts from The Vanderveen House, sign up for email at www.thevanderveenhouse.com

Something For Your Pinterest Board