I’ve told you about my bulldozer dream and in previous blogs I’ve provided tips to help conquer clutter around the house. In this blog, I will specifically address kids and clutter. It is my experience that the two go hand-in-hand. Or at least one begets the other. Either way, if you have children you know that wide-open spaces in your home usually don’t stay that way for long.
With that said, here are a few ideas to keep clutter to a minimum:
*Disclaimer: I’ve found learning the organizing concepts is one thing, but getting your child to employ them is an entirely different challenge. *
· Take your child to the store and let them pick out colorful boxes, baskets, plastic containers – anything they might store toys in. Let your kids decorate the containers they use so they will be personal and fun. Then teach them how to sort toys and keep them off the floor when they aren’t playing with them.
· Create a designated “clean up time” each day or each week when kids have to straighten up their bedroom or family room (wherever the mess is greater). The key is to make it fun. You can design a game out of it with a timer and give rewards for jobs well done.
· Teach kids the concept of purging—have them go through their toys periodically and pick out some things that they don’t play with anymore. Pack them up and donate them to children who are less fortunate.
· I have placed miniature bookshelves in every available place where my two-year-old can stack her toys, books, etc. She often just throws items on the shelves, so the mess looks like it was merely transported upwards, but hey, anything to keep the floor clean.
· Set a good example. You can teach your kids good cleaning habits by being neat and tidy yourself (e.g. hanging up clothes and putting things away after you use them).
· Ditch the hangers; instead install hooks and pegs at your child’s eye-level on the insides of closet doors for quick hang-ups.
· Use music as an incentive. Let your kids listen to whatever they want as loud as they want while they are cleaning. A little noise will be worth a clean room.
Related Articles:
Conquering The Clutter… Just In Time For The Holidays