Children need a space to call their own, one that is clean and organized, but one of the hardest concerns regarding a child’s room many parents face is how to organize a child’s room. Including your child in the cleaning and organizing process will help to teach them the importance of keeping their room clean and tidy. Organizing your child’s room to make life easier for both of you will be a tedious and overwhelming task; however, it will be well worth the effort at the end of the day.
First Step To Organization: De-clutter & Clean
The first step to organization is to completely de-clutter. Before you can begin to organize, everything that does not belong in the room must be removed. This is the perfect opportunity to sort through toys and clothing that are no longer used or worn and to give the room a thorough cleaning. To simplify the sorting process and to avoid a build-up of clutter in a different area of the house, have large boxes to put the items in as you go through them. There should be one box for clothing that is in good shape to donate or sell and one box for toys that can be donated or sold, one box for trash (torn/worn clothing and broken toys). You will also need two boxes to put keep items in as you go through them (one for clothing and one for toys).
Remove all clothing from the closet sorting as it is removed. Remove and sort through clothing in the dresser drawers, one drawer at a time. Pick up all clothing from the floor, under the bed and anywhere else your child has laid clothing items. Put the dirty clothes in a laundry basket and take to the laundry room. Pick up all toys, books and other items from the floor, sorting as you pick them up. Strip the bed and wash all linens. Either take down and wash curtains or vacuum them thoroughly. Wash the windows and dust the top of the window sill. Dust all shelves, dressers, headboard, footboard and light fixtures/ceiling fan blades. Vacuum carpet or sweep and mop wood/tile flooring.
Storage Containers
By this time the room should be completely clean, clutter free and ready to be organized. Do a mental inventory to decide how many toys or pieces of clothing will need new storage areas. For example, if your child is an avid reader does he have a bookshelf for storing books, are there toys that can be displayed on a decorative shelf and is there a night stand for light and bedtime book. Search the rest of the house for storage items including baskets that be used to hold personal items such as hair accessories, netting that can be hung in a corner to hold dolls, stuffed animals and balls, terra cotta pots, heavy string which can be attached to a wall for holding artwork or hats and empty shoe boxes to store small toys. All of these can be used as organizational storage containers. Other items such as back of the door shoe racks work great for storing crayons, small toys and other items that do not have a new home.
Finding The Zone
Determine which area of the room will be used as a particular zone before you begin bringing items such as toys and clothing back into the room. These are the areas or zones of your child’s room that will be used for individual purposes. By having a zone for each activity may encourage the child to keep items contained in one area of the room and avoid a massive re-cluttering of the room. When working in a small room, combine areas such as the play zone and the craft zone.
A study zone is the area where your child will do homework so the desk must be the right size and there should be proper lighting. All supplies such as paper, pens, pencils, calculators and etc. should be organized in specific containers. Examples of containers include a mug for holding writing utensil and an inbox for holding notebooks and paper. The clothing zone should be near the closet or dresser. This is the area for a clothes hamper or laundry basket. Encourage your child to put dirty clothing in the hamper as soon as it is removed and to hang clothing up that has been tried on, but not worn. The sleeping zone is obviously the place where your child will sleep, however, there should also be a bedside table for an alarm clock, small lamp and the current bedtime book. A crafts zone is the area for them to express their creative. If possible have a small table in this area just for crafts. All craft items such as paint, crayons, art paper, scissors and play-dough should be stored in containers. Items such as coffee cans and shoe boxes are the perfect size for storing paint brushes and cans of play-dough. The play zone is the area where your child may spend a great deal of time so everything should be easily accessible and in containers or on shelves. This zone will house items such as games, books, dolls and cars. Encourage the child to play with one or two items at a time and put each away when finished or before getting out a different toy.
Everything In Its Place
Clothing and toys are the two main sources of filling up a child’s room so begin with them. Designate each area of the room as a specific “zone” and only have the items for each zone in this area. For example, the dressing zone, the play zone, the study zone and the sleeping zone. One of the largest concerns with clothing in the closet, is the child has difficulty reaching them. Either remove the existing rod and lower or purchase a new rod and install, making sure the height is easily accessible by the child.
Hang all clothing in the closet or fold and put away in their perspective drawers. Sort through the container of “keep” toys. Separate into categories, such as books, coloring books and crayons, small toys such as cars and larger items that can be displayed on a shelf. After sorting through the toys, put each into their assigned zone.
Staying Organized
Once the room has been cleaned and all items put away in their new organized homes, introduce your child to the new “keep your room clean” rules by discussing what each zone of the room is intended for. To help keep the room clean and organized make it a rule that all items must be returned to their “zone” before going to bed, do a general cleaning once each week that includes washing linens, dusting and vacuuming. Now that you have overcome the problem of how to organize your child’s room, to keep it clean and organized, at least once every three months go through the child’s clothing for non-fitting or worn items and toys that are broken or no longer played with and dispose of or donate them.
References
DIY Network: Organizing A Child’s Room
http://www.diynetwork.com/decorating/organizing-a-childs-room/index.html