Declutter Your Child s Room Rule #1: Model organizational and time management techniques Rule #2: Start young when involving children in making plans for organizing their rooms. Rule #3: Reward children for returning items to their home(s). Organizing Ideas: 1. Group like items put into zones or centers 2. Give every item a home in that zone (make it easily accessible and near first use) Organize bottom to top: Start organizing from the bottom of the room to the top. Use the higher levels for less frequently used items. Example: Favorite books in a clear plastic box on the bottom shelf of bookcase and the antique China doll from Grandma on the highest shelf in the room. 3. Each night clutter-bust for 15 minutes to their favorite CD (alternate which child chooses each night) 4. Have special decluttering times: Before school starts Before a birthday Before Christmas Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved.
Then donate these items to charity, sell in a yard sale or trash it (have a box or drawstring bag for each child to put outgrown clothes, toys, and books ) 5. Label boxes, bins, shelves (be as specific as possible) Use label maker, permanent marker or a picture cut from the box or drawn and then taped to the box or bin (for kids who haven t learned to read) Toy Chest info HERE 6. If possible store in containers without lids (kids are toss-ers not put-ers ). Lids require putting. 7. Start a toy library. If your child has an overabundance of toys, box some of them and store in the garage or other out-ofthe-way place. In several months take the box out and the toys will seem like new! At the same time box up some of the other toys and store them for awhile. Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
Storing Kid Clutter Ideas for organizing and storing Kid Clutter : (Use shelves and containers that are square or rectangular.) Bathroom Toys - large pail, zippered net lingerie bag or mesh bag with suction cup to attach to wall (attach above the scum line) Stuffed Animals/Dolls - stretch a piece of net across a corner to make a hammock or use a pocketed shoe bag to hold these items Attach Velcro strips to a shower rod and attach rod to the wall on brackets. Stick stuffed animals to Velcro strips For small stuffed animals, hang a clear pocketed bag on the back of a door and place animals into the pockets. Large Vehicles and Adventure Sets (example - Fisher-Price Farm) large rectangular laundry baskets (cut out picture of set from box and tape it to basket - this will help identify the pieces to this set) Art Supplies - small tackle box, tool box or supply caddy Small Vehicles - dishpans or clear plastic containers Barbie Dolls and Accessories - dishpans or clear plastic containers Messy Playthings (such as Play Doh, finger paints, glue stickers) place on a high shelf so only you can get it for them and then supervise. Multi-Part Toys labeled ice cube bins Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 3
Action Figures labeled ice cube bins Coloring Books and Crayons- put into a clean-up caddy (now is portable) Books (with thin non-descript spines) - sturdy plastic container and put on a low shelf. Place books in the container with the covers facing forward. Paperback Books - elevate with wood (2 x 4 ) Blocks (Legos, etc.) - clear plastic containers (assorted by sets into separate containers) Cut out a picture of the set and tape it to the container. CDs or DVDs - small shoe boxes (stand up) Socks - sock cubbies Set aside a small box or drawer for socks that have lost their mate. They may eventually show up! For white athletic socks, use permanent laundry Marker to mark each child s name or initials and number them on bottom of sock. Clothes - lower hanging rack 5 day clothing organizer (from Lillian Vernon) Out of season clothes put into suitcases (protects from dust and moths) Bats, Hockey Sticks, Fishing Poles, Skis turn a tall stool upside down and place items inside the legs Baseball Caps - hanging purse file Shoes - shoe cubbies or hanging clear plastic pocketed shoe bags on back of your child s closet door low enough to be reached. Hair Accessories, Jewelry and Earrings - ice cube tray, egg carton with lid cut off or muffin tins Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 4
Miscellaneous Small Items - use a wooden mug rack hung vertically on the back of a closet door. This expandable peg system holds not only mugs on the kitchen wall, but is perfect for hats, scarves, purses, belts, etc. Board Games - (with lots of pieces) - don t store in the original boxes - they are flimsy and do not stack well. Use a container with tall sides labeled Games. Game Directions: hole punch or slide the directions into a sheet protector and put into a 3-ring binder (if the directions are on the lid of the box, either photo copy or cut off) Put this binder into the container labeled Games or put into a large Ziploc bag and use a large binder clip to attach it to the game board. Game Boards: label the game boards. Game Parts: put small game parts into a labeled Ziploc bag. Use a large binder clip to attach this bag to the appropriate game board and then put into the container labeled Games. Put the 3- ring binder in this container as well. Beach Toys - plastic (milk) crate with handles to store and carry beach toys. (parent or child can sit on inverted crate while child is building sand castles, etc. ) Crate and its contents can be swished in the water or hosed off to remove sand and salt. Puzzles: Inlaid Wooden Puzzles Each piece is given a color and the tray in which they go is given the same color (mark on the back with permanent marker). This system is great for non-readers. Giant Puzzles With Cardboard Puzzle Tray Code each piece with a letter and put into a large Ziploc bag Code each puzzle tray - store together by clamping Ziploc bag to puzzle tray (large metal clips or chip clips) Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 5
Jigsaw Puzzles With No Tray Cut picture off puzzle box Throw away puzzle box (flimsy) Give each puzzle piece a number Put pieces into Quart size Ziploc Bag with picture enclosed Store in a large bin labeled Jigsaw Puzzles Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 6
Organizing and Storing Kids Papers / Projects / Mementos / Artwork Developing a habit it takes approximately 21 repetitions for something to become a habit 1. In and Out Basket for all school papers For permission slips, report cards, requests for money, graded tests, artwork, completed and graded homework assignments, etc. 1 large sturdy dishpan or plastic vegetable bin for each child (color code for each child) Put bins in an easily accessible place for each child to put all his/her school papers Kitchen is usually the most convenient repository (where most things are dumped) Display artwork, test paper, etc. for a week or more and then discard or save by putting it into the Holding File. Clean out the bins daily/weekly/monthly. Toss into the trash things not worth saving. Each day put their mail in their bins. Be on the lookout for treasures with historical value that must be saved (these will be put in a holding file - label with child s name and date) Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 7
(example - items with historical value) Report cards Creative stories/poetry Photos Artwork Reports Tests/quizzes hole punch each important test and put into a 3- ring binder (Use different color binder for each subject area. Use to study for mid-terms and final exams) Awards (label back of item with name of child and date) 2. Holding File for Keepsakes (Warehouse) - expandable accordion file Where keepsakes of historical value are kept safe and sound and out of the way until they can be put into a scrapbook or large manila envelope or kept in the expandable accordion file. Use a separate file for each child (use color code) Once a year empty out this Holding File and put items into a scrapbook or large manila envelope or keep in the expandable file folder. 3. Scrapbook, Large Manila Envelope or Expandable Accordion File Label with family member s name or picture and the year/grade level. Keep filed in chronological order in a labeled clear plastic storage box. 4. Large 3-dimensional Projects/Artwork/ Diplomas (worth saving) Display and/or use and then store. Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 8
Artwork/posters (fold or clip off edges to make smaller) Have child hold project/poster/large artwork (that 2 ft. paper mache stegosaurus from 2 nd grade) Take a photo of your child holding the project date it - put photo into a scrapbook or large manila envelope. Put large projects into covered containers: Under-bed-box Plastic storage box Trunk Cedar Chest Footlocker Label write a brief explanation of the project, child s name and date on a piece of masking tape and stick the tape onto the project or write a description of the item on a not card (pack item and note card together in a Ziploc bag) Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 9
Organizing Their Own Filing System Assist your children in setting up their own files. Use: brightly colored file folders (or preferably separate accordion folder) hanging file folders (optional) labels file boxes or small filing cabinet Categories: (label folders into broad categories) Artwork Awards/certificates Old tests (according to subject area) Photos Magazine articles Pages from catalogs Other needed categories Teach your children the 1 inch rule. Once a file folder has an inch of pages inside, they must toss out some pages or start another file folder. Copyright 2004-2006 The EXCEL Program, Inc. All rights reserved. 10