Are you having a hard time opening up your child's bedroom door these days? Well, your not alone. Is the clutter getting out of control? We have some ideas to help you bring back the bedroom you can actually move around in and teach valuable skills along the way.
One thing we want to stress is that you will always want your child present when you go about a clean sweep. Your child's input and participation is very important and will teach them the correct skills and mindset to keep their bedroom tidy. Children should feel a sense of control and ownership of their things. Having your child decide on a realistic system to organize their things has much more long-term impact.
Make this organizational event a positive experience. This is not a good time to lose your temper with your kids. If you work as a team, side-by-side putting their room in order you will have a better chance that they will take ownership of this task in the future.
Here are three simple rules to organizing a kids bedroom:
Everything Has a Home
1. Teach your child that there should be a place and home for all of their things. Pillows on the bed belong on the bed, books belong on the book shelf, and clothing in a closet. Make it easy with fun containers, and ample space to put everything. Show them where everything does a few times and you child will be able to follow your lead.
Eliminate Clutter
2. Clutter can overwhelm kids. Help them identify items that can be recycled out of the house. When an item comes in, an item needs to exit. This can be done in a very thoughtful way and not right away. But allow your child to make a decision as to what will leave. Don't just trash things to make room. Be aware that the item doesn't need to equal what was just brought in, but the process to keep things from piling up.
Keep Track of Stuff
3. To be a productive, successful and independent person, kids need to be accountable for the items that they need on a daily basis. Items for school and after-school activities should be related in a way as essentials. Those essentials should always be ready for the next time they want or need them. So books and backpacks need to be in a spot they can can always access and organize. All sporting equipment needs a spot to gather so no items are lost for the next activity. Give your kids a mindset that those items should always be ready for the next time needed. This avoids a lot of stress!
