1. Sink to their level. Get on your knees in their room to view things from a kid's level. Convenience is an important factor in getting anyone to organize or put things away. Lower clothing racks in the closet. Put most frequently used items on the lowest shelves and in the lowest drawers. Set up decorative, short open bins, crates, baskets and boxes in corners, on closet floors and at the foot of the bed.
2. Hide stuff under the bed. Use flat, rectangular storage bins on wheels that are made for under-the-bed storage. Designate one of these for Barbie dolls and another for mini toy cars. Store your children's artwork including construction paper and crayons in one of the bins. Older children can store schoolwork and notebooks here. Got music lovers? They can keep a pile of CDs handy here.
3. Make organizing fun. Organizing can be a drag even for "big people." Imagine how your child feels at the thought of clearing away his toys, clothes and school work. Get your children involved by letting them creatively label their own drawers and bins. They can make personalized drawings as labels. Or you can take photos of your child with an object that goes in the drawer and tape it to the front of the bin or drawer. Is the drawer supposed to hold small toy soldiers? Tape a small clear plastic pocket to the outside of the drawer that's stuffed with an example of the contents such as one toy soldier. You can buy notebook plastic sleeves (also called sheet protectors) from any office supply store. Then just cut them to the size needed. Use clear shipping tape to attach labels to bins. Put a laundry hamper under a kid size basketball hoop.
4. Keep drawers shallow. The deeper the drawer, the more kids will fill it. With a few exceptions for big bulky items, use shallow drawers. Some narrow storage carts on wheels come with five or six shallow drawers. You can roll the cart into the closet if needed or line several in a row against a wall. Fill deeper drawers with mini-organizers such as small trays, tins, recycled cardboard boxes and more. Don't use lids on the mini-organizers; that's just a hassle for kids to find their items and remember to put the lids back on each item. Use makeshift cardboard dividers to separate things in drawers--like socks.
5. Color code it. Buy blue bins for Barbie dolls and red bins for fire trucks. Put summer clothing on green hangers and Sunday dress outfits on blue hangers. Or use different colors for different children. Suzy gets blue bins and hangers and Sandy gets red bins and hangers.
6. Hang it. Your children might view their collection of self-created artwork in much the same way as you view your collection of store-bought artwork. Buy inexpensive frames and hang drawings in a clustered artistic layout on one wall in your child's room. It adds a decorative and personalized element. Put up a cork/bulletin board for the kids to hang ribbons and medals from field days, school spirit events and competitions. Another cork board can be for photos. Or hang a rectangular vertical homemade fabric organizer with pockets beside the door to hold photos, souvenir card collections and birthday cards through the years.
7. Set ground rules. For example, before you play another board game, you must first put this board game away. Before each gift-giving season, you must pick one item to donate to a nonprofit organization; it brings a smile to the face of a child with less than you. You can only keep things in your room that have a place. So if a drawer is full and you want to keep something new, you must discard something from the drawer (for example, an old piece of artwork for a new piece of artwork or an old broken toy for a new one).
Nationally published freelance writer Karen Fritscher-Porter writes about home organizing solutions at http://www.easyhomeorganizing.com
Visit http://www.easyhomeorganizing.com to read more than 50 FREE articles containing dozens of home organizing ideas and solutions. Plus subscribe to the FREE newsletter updating you about the latest home organization products sold in stores.
recurring maid service Buffalo Grove ..We are bombarded with so many factors that perpetuate disorganization.... Read More
Questions come my way all the time regarding my God-given... Read More
* Cupboards and drawers should contain items that are grouped... Read More
I'm sure most of you have heard of Zig Ziglar... Read More
Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More
From time to time I hear this question from an... Read More
Back-to-school time ? what does that mean to you? For... Read More
To want in one's heart to do a thing for... Read More
Each area of your home has a symbolic meaning with... Read More
It is 5:00 pm and Cindy has no idea what... Read More
Decluttering is a simple-to-learn process, once you break it down... Read More
Has your polished mahogany (or modular plastic) desk been buried... Read More
Dennis is working as a factory worker during the day... Read More
"I don't have enough room!" -- this is a common... Read More
(This is the second in a series of three articles... Read More
There are eight distinct steps to constructing and executing an... Read More
Getting organized is hard. If it weren't, we wouldn't put... Read More
Decide When And Where To StartDecide when and where to... Read More
"Do something every day that you don't want to-do; this... Read More
I know I have a problem when I have to... Read More
? Are you embarrassed when you walk into your home... Read More
Balance- what a popular topic these days! Finding a work-life... Read More
One of the most basic ways to find papers when... Read More
1. All or nothing thinking/taking on too much." I'm going... Read More
Life is really all about CHANGE. In order to make... Read More
premium house cleaning Glenview ..Are stacks of papers, mail, newspapers, and growing "to do"... Read More
Here's a little lesson I experienced while packing boxes for... Read More
Worried because you're moving soon? This really doesn't have to... Read More
Have you ever been totally overwhelmed by a massive task... Read More
Some people seem to be born organized. You probably remember... Read More
Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or... Read More
Ever wonder how they do it? How a short-order cook... Read More
Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent... Read More
Do you feel like you are running around in circles,... Read More
It may seem far-fetched, but by organizing your desk, your... Read More
Balance- what a popular topic these days! Finding a work-life... Read More
The Mexican VillagerThe American investment banker was at the pier... Read More
1. In terms of organization, what is the first thing... Read More
Decluttering is a simple-to-learn process, once you break it down... Read More
(This is the third in a series of three articles... Read More
Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such... Read More
What method do you currently use to organize your family?... Read More
Are you overwhelmed by clutter wherever you turn? Here are... Read More
What does "time" have to do with getting organized? Everything!... Read More
When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is,... Read More
My mother is one of the most productive people I... Read More
The summer is flying by for Cindy and her family.... Read More
3-Step Clean Sweep Program 1 -... Read More
Nature loves clutter. Just think of all the stuff that... Read More
Spring is such a refreshing time- we are filled with... Read More
Get Organized - Organization |