Keeping your kid’s room clean feels like a never-ending battle for parents. No matter how often you’ve lectured and begged, keeping the room neat and tidy seems impossible. If you’re ready to learn how to organize a kid’s room once and for all, you need these secrets. These decluttering tips will help you set children up with kid-friendly, manageable systems to declutter kids’ rooms and keep the clutter away.
Secret #1: Set Up Zones
Kids thrive when given routines to follow, which is why setting up zones in their bedrooms can work effectively. Set up three zones in your kid’s bedroom: one zone is for leisure (sleeping, reading books, and dressing), a second zone is for play, and the last zone is for crafts or schoolwork.
Once you’ve defined your zones, you can set up an organized system.
- Zone #1: Equip with a comfortable bed, reading light, bookshelf, and clothing organization.
- Zone #2: Set up an easy system for managing age-appropriate toys, games, and puzzles.
- Zone #3: Place a child-friendly desk or table with a simple way to manage supplies for learning and creativity.
How do you organize a child’s small bedroom?
If your child has a small bedroom, creating three separate zones for their items may not be feasible. In that case, you will prioritize a leisure area for sleeping, reading, and clothes. Then, you can choose either a place for play or learning. Whichever zone you can’t make room for in the bedroom can be created in another common area of the house, such as the living room.
How do you divide a room for kids to share?
For kids sharing a bedroom, provide each child with their own leisure space with room for their bed and books. A closet and dresser will be shared, so designate specific areas for each child to keep their items neatly together. Areas for play and learning can be shared as well. It might make more sense to get a child-friendly table with more than one chair instead of two (or more) desks. This gives each child an area to learn without taking up as much space.
How do I organize my ADHD child’s room?
Using zones with specific functions is an excellent method for organizing an ADHD child’s bedroom. Kids with ADHD thrive on structure, so they can better manage those spaces by creating logical spaces for their needs. You can also consider blocking off the zones to create areas, such as using a bookshelf to divide the leisure area from the learning area.
Related Article: 5 Tips to Shorten Your Laundry Routine to 20 Min a Day
Secret #2: Rotate Toys And Games
Toys accumulate quite easily, and as these items add up, it becomes easy for children to get overwhelmed. They can’t decide what to play with, and the bedroom becomes a huge mess of toy parts and game pieces. A rotation system for toys and games is one of the best tips for decluttering.
If your kids have too many toys, pack half of them in a clearly labeled storage box. Keep the box in a storage unit, garage, or another part of the house. If the area is someplace your kids may be, consider using a code word for the box so they don’t uncover your secret.
If you’re concerned you’ll forget about the extra toys, put a note on your calendar to rotate toys periodically. Your kids will be thrilled when they re-discover toys they love. And you’ll be thrilled that there is less for them to clean up every day.
The rotation system is a great way to weed out toys or stuffed animals regularly. Your kids may become less attached to items they don’t really need and may be more willing to donate toys, books, and other items.
How do you organize toys in kids’ bedrooms?
Short, cube-style bookcases with pull-out bins are perfect for storing toys. Ensure the case is bolted to the wall for safety purposes, and consider labeling the containers to make items easy to find and clean. If your child primarily plays with one type of toy, such as LEGOs, set up a single zone dedicated to that toy to make playtime and clean–up easier and more enjoyable. For stuffed animals or collectible toys, consider using a shelf above the closet or on the wall.
Related Article: 6 Creative Ways to Keep Your Kid’s Bathroom Clean
Secret #3: Declutter Clothes And Closets
Clothing is often the biggest contributor to a disorganized bedroom. Create a schedule for eliminating outgrown clothes and set up an easy-to-manage system for clean, dirty, and outgrown clothing to easily declutter kids’ rooms.
For items children are unable to wear, such as hand-me-downs, seasonal items, or upcoming sports equipment, store in plastic totes. These totes with clothes for future use can be placed on the top shelves of their closet, in the garage, or storage unit. Clearly label the bin with the season or age of the clothing so you know when it’s time to take it down or add items to the appropriate bin.
A smart continual organizing trick is to keep a box in the garage for clothes kids outgrow. As items become too small, toss them in the box. When the box is full, donate them or pass them on to another child.
A common clothing struggle for many families is socks, which are easy to lose and mismatch. One solution to reduce this annoyance is buying one type and brand of sock for each child. That way, putting socks away and matching up pairs is easier.
PRO TIP: When you put away kids’ school clothes, hang pants and coordinating shirts on one hanger. This makes it easier for children to pick out their own clothing and get dressed in the morning, and you’ll find less clothing strewn about the floor.
Related Article: 5 Tips from a New Mom on How to Organize Baby Clothes
Secret #4: Strategically Organize Craft Supplies
An excellent way to instill a love of creativity in your children is to have a well-stocked craft area. With a designated craft area, you can encourage kids to focus time on creative efforts. Prepare a station that can also serve as a homework or schoolwork area. Have a sizeable work surface, ample lighting, and organized supplies.
For craft supplies, plastic bins with drawers can work wonders in keeping everything in place and having a designated spot for items. Most craft items are small, and mess can ensue quickly, so ensure your kids have a clear location where to keep things. This avoids having undesirable craft items littered throughout your home.
When you choose to have kids’ learning and creativity zones set up in other parts of the house, their bedroom organization becomes much easier.
By learning systems for how to organize your kid’s items along with their needs, you can significantly declutter your child’s bedroom and the rest of your home. With a clean house, your life will seem much less stressful.
This post originally appeared on the Life Storage Blog on 12/15/15 and was revised on 8/2/20 & 7/18/23 to provide new information.
