How to Get Kids Organized

Wondering how to get kids organized?  Are you dealing with a messy kids room, wondering how to avoid a lifetime of disorganization? How do you get toddlers and children on board with getting and staying organized? 

Even babies take in their surroundings at all times.  Everything they see is a new experience.  Therefore it's important to be mindful when deciding what to surround them with. If they are inundated with nothing but visual stimulation they are often times fussy and hard to calm.  Just like adults, when a child's environment has too many things, it can become overwhelming. 

Now with toddlers it becomes even more important to start the early steps of organizing. A child may instinctively knows how to play with a toy, yet knowing how to put it back is a completely different matter. When the child is overwhelmed with options, it's easy for them to get distracted from one toy to the next, leaving a mess on the floor.  

As the parent it is your job to maintain the flow of toys your child has available. Keep out only 4-5 toys at a time. Make sure each toy has a home the child can easily get to. If they take care of these few items then add 2 more at the end of five days. If they have a hard time managing 4-5 toys, but want one that is out of reach, then have them give up 1 for a few days in trade. If your child wants a new toy at a store discuss with them which 2 toys they will donate to make room.
 
Getting organized should always be fun. If your child is having a hard time putting their things away, it might be because they don’t remember where it goes. One idea for organizing kids toys is to put pictures on baskets, tubs, or boxes. This will give them a visual que to know where everything belongs.  

If you're saying to yourself that you would have to take 100 pictures to organize everything your child owns, then you child has too much stuff.  Take a step back and realize if it's too much for you to handle, then it's definitely too much for them. Sounds like now is the perfect time to discuss the fine art of de cluttering. 

A great way to get a child excited about the idea of letting their unused/unwanted toys go is by creating a fun themed kids room. If the toy does not fit the theme then out it goes. The theme can be as simple as a pink fairy room or green forest. Yet some whimsical room decorating ideas for kids might be ponies in space, trains in the sky, or deep sea princess explorers. Now take your child to drop off all their discarded toys to a donation center. Families whom de clutter and donate together stay organized together. 

Now that you’ve de cluttered your child's room it's time to make organizing fun!  Making it fun and less of a chore will allow you and your child to enjoy organizing together. Turn it into a game. Who can find where the toys go the fastest?  How quickly can you match the toy to the picture? Make it a nightly ritual before bed.
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Moving out of their room and into the house with organization starts with small chores. Their job can be to line up everyone's shoes at the door, or to help sort socks.  Starting simple when your child is young will make a world of difference when they are older (teens).  Even if a child has a messy room, that doesn’t mean they are unorganized if it can be whipped into shape in under 15 mins. 

Taking the time to teach the skills to be organized will make a difference in your child's life.  If you struggle with getting organized yourself just remember one thing, you might just need a little help too. So don't be afraid ask for help from a friend, family member, or professional organizer today.