Organizing AT HOME - Kid's rooms

Ask any parent and they will tell you, the messiest room in their home is their kid's room. So how do we help these little people develop a sense of organization? There are methods like making it into a game, "the first one that finishes picking up their room gets a treat" or a punishment "you are not to come out of your room until it's CLEAN" or the default "just wait till you go to school and I come in here with my big garbage bag". Yes, most of us as parents have been there. Try as we might, the room inevitably gets messy again and again. The best we can do is:

1. Give them furniture that is adapted to their needs (quantity and functionality)
2. Limit on a daily basis what goes in their rooms and get them thinking from day to day
   
3. Regularly sort through their things with them and let them discover how best to organize their things. (your method may not be the same as theirs).

To elaborate, a child needs "kid-friendly" furniture: a dresser that can be easily opened and closed, hanging space for clothes that is not too tall, storage shelves or cupboard that is at their height, a desk and chair that is comfortable and has room for their materials. A basket or bin for their dirty clothes and a garbage can.

Look for organizers that make their daily routine easier. This one from Verbaudet is excellent for helping them pick out their clothes.

Avoid letting their rooms become the dumping ground for everything they bring into the home. Sort through their school bags and pockets when they come in. It is easier to deal with their influx a little each day, than to have it accumulate over time with the results looking like Hiroshima.

Despite your best efforts to stop clutter at the front door you will need to spend time helping your kids sort, clean and arrange their rooms. Let them tell you how they like to arrange their things. Don't expect logic to reign here. Everyone has their own organizing style. Case in point, my daughter has a book shelf in her room, but she likes a small pile of books next to her bed because that is where she reads. That is her organizing style, not mine. Whatever she is not reading at the moment is however arranged on her book shelf.

These are just a few ideas to help you "Kontain Kiddy Klutter". Enjoy and good luck!