Need help with kids organizing tips? Expert organizer and veteran teacher Lisa Menees shares her top tips in this month’s article.
Keeping a family organized is no small feat, especially when it comes to the mountains of papers, clothes, and toys that seem to multiply overnight. But with a little planning and consistency, you can create a system that keeps everything under control and even teaches your kids valuable life skills along the way.
Let’s dive into some practical tips for managing kids’ stuff. Plus we’ll talk about creating a functional command center in your home.
Tips for Organizing Kids’ Schoolwork
This one is tops on our list of kids organizing tips for a reason: It’s incredible how quickly school papers can pile up!
From spelling lists to art projects, the sheer volume can be overwhelming. The key to managing this is to establish a simple yet effective filing system. Consider starting a file box with separate folders for each family member, dividing them into categories like “Sentimental” and “Reference.”
Reference Folder
This is where you can stash study guides, important notes, and spelling lists that might need to be revisited. These are papers you’ll want to keep handy for the school year but don’t necessarily need to keep forever.
Sentimental Folder
This folder is for those special pieces you can’t bear to part with—like your child’s first A+ paper or a particularly sweet drawing. But here’s the thing: it’s important to ask yourself, “Who am I keeping this for?” Over the years, the volume of sentimental items can become overwhelming. At the end of each school year, go through this folder with your child and weed out items that no longer hold the same emotional value.
Frequent Review Saves Time (my organizing secret!)
Set aside a regular time to go through all the papers you have saved. Over time, what was once sentimental might not feel as special anymore. When reviewing your sentimental file, if you find you’ve collected a lot of similar projects, choose a favorite or two to keep, and let go of the rest. Focus on what truly matters to you and your child. Involving them in this process helps them learn to make decisions and keeps the clutter down.
You may also like to keep this 4-part strategy on hand:
Tips for Organizing Kids’ Clothes: Out With the Old, In With the New
The changing of the seasons or a new school year is the perfect time to go through your child’s wardrobe. Kids grow fast, and before you know it, they’ve outgrown half of their clothes!
Weed Out the Old
Start by sorting through clothes that are too small or no longer loved. Donate what’s still in good condition and discard or recycle the rest.
Accessibility is Key to Good Organizing
Make sure your child can easily reach what they need. This encourages independence as they learn to dress themselves, put away laundry, and keep their room tidy.
Teach Ownership and Responsibility
And perhaps the top kids organizing tip to help set you and them up for success: start them early in taking ownership of their clothes. Teach them to hang up their jackets, put dirty clothes in the hamper, and put clean clothes away. These small tasks can go a long way in building responsibility.
TOYS! Kids Organizing Tips: Streamline and Rotate
No article on kids’ organizing tips would be complete without tackling the big T: TOYS. This is a critical area where clutter can take over quickly. But with some simple strategies, you can keep the mess under control.
Sort and Purge
Take time to go through toys with your children and weed out anything broken, with missing pieces, no longer age-appropriate or simply no longer loved. Donate toys still in good condition and toss the rest!
Encourage Responsibility
School-age children are more than capable of being responsible for putting toys away. Set clear expectations and be consistent. Labels can help younger kids know where everything goes.
Designated Zones
Play areas are important but it’s also crucial to create quiet spaces for homework, reading, or relaxing. If you have a separate playroom, keep the toys there and make bedrooms a calm space for winding down before bed. Even a small reading nook in a corner can make a big difference.
Command Center: Keep Your Household Running Smoothly
While not necessarily a kids zone, a command center is still an important place to keep the whole family organized with a calendar and a place to keep papers that will need attention in the short term.
Choose a Location
Find a spot that’s convenient and easy to maintain. Command centers are usually located near the front door but any space you have can work! It’s ideal if you have some wallspace to hang a corkboard or whiteboard to pin important reminders or just to write a friendly family message of the day!
Action Folders
Create folders for items that need your attention, such as bills, permission slips, or important reminders. Organize these by urgency—whether by color coding (red for urgent, yellow for less so) or by time (this week, next week).
With a little effort and a consistent routine, these kids organizing tips can be the basis for a system that not only keeps your home tidy and creates a good model for your kids. By involving them in the process, you’re helping them learn to take responsibility, make decisions, and appreciate the value of a well-organized kids’ space!
If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of kids’ papers and toys in your home let’s have a chat! Together we’ll create a custom solution of kids’ organizing tips to lower your stress and give you more time back to enjoy with them!