Guest Blog Entry #43 , Entry #399, January 27, 2011
Organization in your kid’s rooms is one of the most important areas to organize in your home. Not only does it help them learn to put away items, but it builds their self confidence and ability to decipher when things are neat and when they are not. Not to mention, an organized child can help their parents be organized too!
Today, Gigi K. Miller from Vision Organizing, LLC guests blogs and shows us 5 steps to organize your kid’s rooms. She will show you how to get rid of what you don’t need, and how to make organization a habit and not just a “once-in-a-while” chore.
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Kids’ bedrooms often serve multiple functions and organization is a crucial element in making the most of the available space. This is a place where kids complete homework assignments, read, listen to music and play with friends. It also functions as storage space for books, clothes, electronics, sports equipment and toys. So how do I keep create an organized space that my kids will maintain?
Follow these 5 steps to cut the clutter, maximize available space and create organizing systems that are simple and easy for your kids to maintain.
Step 1: Design a Space with Kids’ Needs in Mind:
The first thing I suggest is to look at the space from your child’s point of view. Is it easy for them to access clothes, books, toys? Consider these questions and then purchase pieces that allow your child to easily retrieve what they need when they need it. For example, install or move an existing rod to a lower position in the closet, use open floor bins or stackable drawers to store socks, underwear, and t-shirts. Use the upper rod and shelving to store out of season clothing and extra bedding.
Step 2: Define Your Zones:
Decide what functions your kids’ rooms need to serve and then clearly define the space into zones. For example, a desk and shelving unit may serve as the homework/reading zone. A table and art supplies may serve as the arts and crafts zone. And a trunk of dress up clothes, a train table and bins of toys provide a play zone. Creating zones will make it easy for your kids to determine where items belong.
Step 3: De-Clutter Your Space:
Take inventory of toys, clothes, books and everything else in your kids’ rooms. Toss old or broken items out and donate gently used items to a local charity. One good tip is to keep an empty bag or box in the closet to collect donate items. I suggest de-cluttering 3-4 times a year. Take your kids with you when you drop off donations. It is important that they learn early on the importance of giving to others. Use the one in one out rule. One new toy or book means one is donated.
Step 4: Designate a Home For Everything:
Sort like items together and store them close to where your kids will use them or in their proper zones. This goes for clothes, toys, games, and everything else. For example, toys and games should be stored close to or in the play zone. Toys should be sorted into categories by type or size. Organize clothing by categories as well: short sleeved shirts, pants, sweaters, and so on. Use labels or pictures to help your kids return items to their proper homes. For younger kids, color code categories. A pink bin for socks, a red bin for t-shirts, and so on. The important thing to remember here is to set up a system that works for your kid. Every kid is different and finding the right system takes time and patience. But it will be well worth it for both of you!
Step 5: Make Staying Organized a Routine:
For younger kids, make it a game by turning on music and setting a timer to see how fast they can return items to their proper (and labeled) homes. For older kids, create a check list to include items such as making the bed, folding clothes, putting away books and preparing school items for the next day. Take it a step further and create a morning check list and an evening one to help kids better manage their time.
Finally, make getting and staying organized a family affair. Work together as a team and encourage each other to keep you home clutter free and organized!
Vision Organizing, LLC creates customized solutions to help clients eliminate clutter, maximize available space, reduce stress and develop time-saving systems for home, office, and life that are practical and easy to maintain. Our approach is based on simplifying a client’s surroundings and creating organizational systems that work with their space and lifestyle.
GiGi K. Miller, an Atlanta based Professional Organizer and owner of Vision Organizing, has over 15 years of career experience in project management and media relations. Throughout her professional career, GiGi has created and implemented organization systems to increase productivity and efficiency in the work place. She utilizes her highly honed organizational skills towards helping residential and small business clients realize the benefits of living an organized life. GiGi is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and is actively involved in her local chapter (NAPO-Georgia). She is also a NAPO In the Schools Trained Presenter, a nationwide community outreach program of the National Association of Professional Organizers that brings professional organizers into the schools to teach students the benefits of being organized and basic organizing principles in a totally interactive classroom presentation. Follow Gigi on Twitter .
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Mary Karam says
great ideas, I am sure to share them with anyone who have kids at home
Ronique says
Thank you Mary for visiting! Have a great weekend.
Gail Paris - says
As an educator and a parent, in response to what read on another blog, here are my ideas about what to do to avoid being overrun by your children’s toys.
1.Bathrooms need toys. Those of us who are alone with little ones usually leave the door open so we can hear what our little tot is up to. It’s good to have a special toy that will keep their interest rather than a new toilet paper carpet.
2.Develop your child’s decision making skill and let them choose in cooperation with you what toys should be donated. Have a donation box easily accessible to your child. If they don’t play with any of the toys in an agreed amount of time (one or two weeks), then donate the toys. Try to take your child with you so he/she has a meaningful experience.
3.If you want to keep your living room free of toys, restrict the size so toys can be stored in an ottoman, bench or basket. I made a toy train made out of cardboard boxes linked with cord so at clean up time, my son could put the top on the box and pull the train to his room or the playroom. He’d make stops at certain crossing (the kitchen and the hall to pick up “strays”). Always remember to give a 5 minute and a 2 minute “toot toot” as clean up reminders.
4.The first playroom should be your child’s bedroom. If your child is very young, you need toys in every room because you need to be watching him/her. Organization will allow you not to feel like your are living in a toy store. Although you could look at toy stores for organization and stlyling ideas (what goes on shelves – what goes in bins). Any Montessori parent or educatior will tell you it is never too early to label where things go and train your child to put toys back. It’s a matter of “What I learned in Kindergarten” providing the life skills your child will need later on.
5.Not everyone has room for a separate playroom, but whether you do or don’t the approach is the same. Younger children do better with bins that are open so they can see what in there. Older children can have containers that are closed. All containers should have labels with a picture of one of the objects pasted to the label. Large glue dots work well and can be removed without damage.
For more ideas and pictures, visit the Doodle Noodle website (doodlenoodlestuff.com), which will be fully operational next week. You can also visit us on Facebook (Doodle Noodle LLC) or tweet me @gaildoodlenoodl
Ronique says
Thank you Gail for those awesome ideas! You sound like you would make a great guest blogger on Stagetecture. 🙂 If interested, let me know!