Happy New Year, Happy New Room

I like to think the first weeks after the holidays offer the chance to start from a clean slate. Beginning the new year by organizing rooms, especially kids’ rooms, can have a positive effect on you, your family and your sanity.  In fact, because kids receive so many new things for Christmas, it’s almost a necessity. As a result, I’ve come up with a few hacks of my own that I’d like to share that have seemed to help my kids’ rooms seem more organized, making me feel less overwhelmed.  Because, after all, the holidays are over, so feeling overwhelmed should be over too!

Declutter. Clearing out their rooms can make a huge difference. The easiest way to go about this is to set aside some time on the weekend when you can sit down together and go through their toys to see which ones your kids still use and which ones should go in a donate pile. Don’t forget to explain that the donate pile is going to children who don’t have as many toys as they do.  This way, your youngsters are more apt to let go of the toys, as well as learn the importance of giving to those less fortunate.  Plus, with so many new toys, the old ones will have lost the shiny-bright appeal they had when first received. 

Organize items. Once you’ve decided on what you want to keep, try to organize items into little piles. Always put like items into clear containers.  Why clear? So kids can readily find what they want to play with without just dumping the whole container to look for something specific. I like to keep the large clear containers in their closet, so they are out of sight but still accessible. Small containers to hold smaller things, like pencils and play dough, I usually leave out on shelves.  These containers can be more decorative and playful, because they will be in sight.  Try for colorful lids—or maybe even do an art project where the kids can decorate the lids themselves with markers, cute stickers, even pom-poms. After all, what child doesn’t like a glue stick?

Shelving. Adding shelving to a bedroom is extremely easy and very beneficial for organizing. It’s easier to keep things in certain spots.  Having shelves handy gives the kids a particular home for particular toys.  Repeatedly having kids pick up after themselves gives them a sense of responsibility and you a peace of mind.  Well, a little anyway!  

Picking up.  When kids have certain places to put their toys, they begin to enjoy feeling responsible and seeing the outcome of a fresh, clean and organized room. So, organize that room, find a home for everything and encourage kids to put everything in its home when they are finished with it.

Alexandra Hombs is a freelance writer and designer who lives in Riverside, MO, with her husband and two children.