How Do I Keep My House Organized With Kids?
My first piece of advice is to keep expectations realistic. No one that I know lives in a Pottery Barn Kids catalog play room. You know the picture – perfectly organized room with 1-2 thoughtfully strewn toys slightly misplaced. We live in real houses with real kids who really play. That being said, there are ways that you can increase neatness without hassle by starting with having a place for everything. If it is overwhelming to you when you walk into a child’s room or play room and think about picking things up, it is double or triply overwhelming for that child. One way to combat that is to have a clear home for each toy. For smaller pieces, creating a bin or basket for similar toys can work really well too.Getting Started With Organization
Depending on the size of the job, emptying out the space and starting from scratch might be necessary. Lay things in another room or hallway in a gross sort – similar items tossed in a pile together. Once everything is out and you can see what you are dealing with, then it is easier to tackle.
Bins, baskets, boxes and buckets are best as long as they are light enough for the child to pick up and use in the eventual clean up. Labeling each with what goes inside – whether that be words or a picture, can erase the excuse, “I didn’t know where it went.” Once everything is in its place for the first time, it is time for a kid tour! If they helped in the first steps, then let them lead the tour to show where each toy now calls home. Letting kids get excited about this step can pay off in the long run because they will be more invested in keeping it orderly. Once this is done in their room/play room, it is easier for them to understand the concept in other places in the house. It literally may not have occurred to them that things they leave around the house don’t just magically appear in the right place!
Staying Organized with Kids
Adding a few minutes of “clean up” up time to your evening routine can help do a little each day instead of waiting until it is total chaos to tackle. Our book, 101 Kids Activities That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever! has a fun toy toss game that works great at my house. Also, if your kids have chores, putting one in charge of toy pick up for one room or a specific toy set that is usually out, can also keep the clutter at bay. Check out our fun suggestions for kids chore charts if that is something you are also organizing!Other Moms Suggestions for Organization with Kids
Post by quirkymomma.com.
We asked our FB community for how they stay organized with kids in the house and here are some of our favorite answers:
-Put up a sign that reads… Please excuse the noise and mess, the kids are making happy memories. Then relax and enjoy too. –Teach them that if they don’t clean up and you have to do it then that item gets put away for a few days. Might not work immediately but once they lose a few things it will sink it. –I buy stacking bins from Walmart and organize somewhat. I have taught the kids that the can only take one bin out but put it away before taking another out. They just throw in bins so easy peasy!These are some of our favorite organizational supplies for keeping your house organized with kids:
Links below are affiliate and support Kids Activities Blog. 4 Tier Toy Organizer – A colorful place to keep all the toys and this makes it easy for kids to put things away! Lego City Zip Bin – Keep the Lego’s contained and not covering your floors. Book Rack – A kid-friendly place to put books – no high shelves! Portable Storage Bin – Perfect to move from room to room to pick up all the loose toys. Ready to organize the entire house? We LOVE this declutter course! It’s perfect for busy families!
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