How to Organize a Kid's Room

When I was growing up, my room was a disaster area. My mom used to joke that there was a path from my bed to the door, and the rest of my room was wall to wall stuff. There was a lot of truth in that. I was not very organized, and we spent many a morning trying to find my shoes, just so we could get out the door. I don't know how many times I lost homework and library books. When I became a parent, I determined that things would change. Here are some basic tips on how to keep your kid's room organized.

A Place for Everything.

If something doesn't have a home, it will be stuffed under the bed, in the closet, or left on top of the desk. As soon as something comes into the house, give it a home. I like to use clear plastic shoe boxes. You can buy them inexpensively at the Dollar Store. I like to label the boxes, so my children know exactly where to find things and put them away. For my older child, I just type out a label on a label-maker. For my non-reader, I take a digital photo of what is supposed to be in the box. Then I tape the photo to the box. We have different boxes for Fisher Price Little People, Cars, Barbies, Polly Pockets, Littlest Pet Shop, and every other toy you can imagine. It's much easier to find things when the toys are organized into separate containers rather than dumped together in one big toy box.

I also like shelves. I keep my plastic boxes on inexpensive wooden shelves. I label the shelves, so each box has a home. My children know exactly where to put each box, so there is never any reason for them to complain that they don't know where the box goes.

Paper Clutter

My grade schooler generates a lot of paper clutter. I organize her paper projects with a desktop filing system. My daughter has hanging file folders for mail, homework, plain paper, and binder paper. I also have folders labeled "project 1" and "project 2" for any ongoing craft projects she may have. The file box is big enough that we can add folders as needed, so she can keep her papers organized.

A Schedule.

It's important to have a routine for keeping the room clean. 10 minutes a day spent tidying up is much easier than two hours on the weekend. My children are responsible for making sure everything is put away before they leave the house in the morning and before they go to bed at night. We're not perfectionists, so it doesn't have to be perfect. Once a week I make them do a really good job. It doesn't take that long when they've been keeping up with the cleaning throughout the week.

Get Rid of Stuff.

I am convinced that kids today have much more stuff than they need. I know that my kids are inundated with new toys every birthday and Christmas. It gets overwhelming for kids to have too many things. The best way to organize is to get rid of things. Twice a year, usually during the summer and right before Christmas, I go through the toys with the kids. We get rid of anything that isn't used or loved. At first it was hard, but my kids have gotten used to the routine, and now they look forward to it. My daughter even sells some of her old toys on eBay to make a little extra money. Making a little extra money can be good motivation for children to get rid of stuff.

Teach Children to Take Care of What They Have.

Children who are taught to take care of their things will tend to be more organized. When toys are left strewn all over the floor, they are more likely to be lost or broken. When a child understands the value of money and what things are worth, they are more apt to keep their things organized. For this reason, it's important for children to have chores and responsibilities. It's also important that children learn to manage their own money at a young age. If a child has to use his own money to replace a toy he broke, he's more likely to take better care of his toys in the future.

My children are not perfect, and their rooms are not always immaculate. By following the above steps, though, my children manage to keep their rooms fairly organize. It's not often that we scramble to find shoes before school anymore.