The hardest chore for children to keep up with is keeping their room clean. Here are some simple, cheap ways to help your children in tackling this chore without cleaning it yourself!
First off, you need the right toy box. Toy boxes should be less deep and more wide. Instead of a toy box it should be more like a toy drawer. Even though large, deep toy boxes are nice to fit everything in they are not practical in a child’s room. Sure you could fit every toy in a child’s room into them, but the odds of them finding the toy they want lowers greatly and most of the time they end up dumping the entire box. If you use a toy drawer instead it will be a lot easier for the child to find what they are looking for. Try using a drawer from an old dresser (you could even sand and paint it to make it look nicer) or a shallow basket if you can find one.
When organizing small items (doll clothes, play food, toy cars, action figures, etc.) you should invest in a cheap bookshelf and some small baskets (shoe boxes work well plus they come with a top). It’s really simple. Just place the toys into their appropriately labeled boxes (a sharpie and some masking tape works great for labels) and place on the bookshelf. This way they can just grab the box they need, take it to where they want to play, and when they are finished just put it all back on the shelf. Easy peasy!
Anything that requires adult supervision or items that children need that they don’t play with (pillows and blankets) should be stored away from the children. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean in a different room. A cheap wire rack shelf mounted higher up on the wall creates a great space for these items. This way they are neat, organized, and up out of the way, but still easily accessible when they are needed.
Now for the dirty clothes debate. Should there be a laundry hamper in the child’s room or should they be required to bring their dirty clothes to the family hamper. Let’s be honest here. What child is going to make the extra effort to bring their dirty clothes all the way across the house to be put into the proper receptacle? Not many. Just place a small pop-up hamper in the corner of their room. A pop-up hamper is perfect for small children since they can easily drag it to their parent on laundry day.
Additional Tips:
**Place all books facing front into a large dish pan. This will be easier for them to return the books they take out.**
**Ziploc bags also work well to put onto their bookshelf for small items since they stack easily and take up less space.**
**If you have hardwood floors a nice soft area rug is also a must for a young child’s room since this is where they will be spending most of their time.**
I hope these tips help in taming that wild mess!