Decluttering Tricks for Kids

Kids are not exactly known for being neat and tidy. Keeping up with the trail of toys and other things your children leave behind on a daily basis can be challenging, and putting things away can be an even bigger obstacle. Kids’ rooms may be full of stuff, especially since kids always seem to be taking things out and not putting them back. Here are some ways you can declutter your child’s room to help maximize space and cut down on cleaning time.

Toy Rotation

Buying toys for kids is always a bit of a gamble. You might find something you think they’ll like or they may ask for something specific only to have them play with it and forget all about it. In other cases, your children may be “into” certain items for periods at a time but not all the time. You can create a toy rotation where you round up all of your child’s toys and separate them into bins or boxes. Keep only one box of “current” toys out at any given time, and take out other items as kids ask for them. This way, you only have a limited number of toys out and about at any given time, lessening the amount of time you spend putting them away as well as freeing up some space in your child’s room. This toy rotation system can also help you learn more about toys or other objects your children may never end up playing with, which you can then consider donating to family, friends, or toy drives.

Kid-Proof What You Can

Make sure that certain areas like drawers and closets are kid-proofed, especially for younger children. Paying attention to not only cluttered closets, open drawers can be dangerous for small children, but access to these areas can tempt kids to empty everything inside onto the floor and around the house. By limiting or controlling access to certain storage space, you can have more of a handle on how much of a mess your kids make, plus you can teach kids to think about what they want to play with or do with more focus, encouraging them to manage their time and make decisions on their own.

Maximize Your Wall Space for Storage  

Furniture can take up a lot of room, and it can be expensive, too. Consider limiting furniture like toy boxes, sets of drawers and other such bulky pieces of furniture to only the essentials and increase your shelf space. Shelving frees up the center of the room while still allowing you to put things away or organize items or reading books in a visual manner that can double as storage as well as decoration!

Ask Kids for Help

It’s important that you teach your children the importance of picking up after themselves, but it helps to encourage them to do so in a healthy way. It is important that you are not too controlling with what kids do or have access to (like above, you can kid-proof certain areas, but limit this to storage while leaving “current” toy boxes and other items open for your kids to peruse and access freely when they’d like) and that telling them to clean their room isn’t made out to be an overwhelming, and often repeated, command that is eventually ignored and/or resented. When asking your kids to clean their room, make sure to give them specific instructions. Instead of saying something vague like “Clean your room,” say something more direct like “Pick up all the toys and put them in the bin,” or “Try to put all of your books away.” By breaking down the task, it makes the whole chore sound and feel easier, as well as more manageable and less overwhelming.

It’s important that parents and guardians test things out and see what works best for their children. Each kid is different, and different tactics may work more than others, but there are plenty of ways in which you can improve your life and your child’s life by decluttering their room and by making cleaning much less of a chore.

Easy Chores Kids Can Actually Help With

Parents and guardians have a great deal of responsibility, and on top of caring for children; there are plenty of chores involved, too. That doesn’t even include providing for the family, supplying food and other necessities, running errands, and countless other things. Kids should focus on growing, developing and learning, but actually having kids pitch in with the chores and cleaning can be helpful! Kids should not be forced to do labor, especially nothing that is unsafe or unreasonable for them to do, but giving children a household responsibility helps them develop that skill, as they get older. It can also help teach lessons in patience, gratitude, and discipline. Here are some chores that you can assign your kids from time to time, or have them help you with.

Vacuum

Kids shouldn’t handle any heavy, large vacuums, but slimmer appliances can actually prove to be fun! They make toy vacuums for a reason, right? Giving kids a light task like vacuuming the kitchen or the bathrooms provides them with some activity yet is still small-scale enough that they can handle it. Knowing that they have a small hand in the household chores can help them feel more important as well as responsible without feeling overwhelmed.

Sorting the Recycling

Going through bottles, cans and plastics can actually be turned into a fun game if you’re creative enough! Focusing on recycling is good for any household, and it can help provide a lesson for kids about being environmentally conscious. By giving them a hands-on role in the recycling, they can develop a better understanding of the impact they have on the earth, and what can be done to prevent pollution and other damages that trash or certain materials can do to nature over time.

Help with Laundry

Laundry is a pretty stress-free task, though time consuming. That’s what makes it a great group activity. Whether you have your child assist you with folding and sorting or you disperse the tasks among several kids, laundry can be done in so many ways that no matter who helps, the whole process goes faster. Kids will also appreciate more and realize the time parents take to wash, fold and sort laundry. Plus, laundry usually allows for some multitasking, too. You can fold laundry and watch a movie or a show at the same time. That way you get to spend some quality time together while still being productive.

Two brothers helping father to wash and dry dishes in kitchen

Doing the Dishes

This is a classic, but it works! It’s a great idea to have kids help out with the cooking prep if you can, especially since kids are more likely to try new foods (even veggies!) if they had a hand in making it, but helping with the dishes is a great chore to task them with, too. Having kids do the dishes can also help them be more mindful of the appliances they use, and it may inspire a desire to wash dishes as soon as they’re done being used. Even if you have a dishwasher, tasking kids with filling and emptying the dishwasher can help with organizational skills.

Dusting

An easy chore, but still necessary! Dusting is an essential skill, even if it’s not at all challenging. The problem is remembering to dust. Dust buildup can cause a number of different things, but allergies especially. It’s something quick and easy that kids can accomplish, but also helpful. Plus, your kids may be able to get into those hard to reach places you can’t quite get to!

Refilling Supplies

This task is another good observational and organizational skill-builder. Ask kids to refill soap bottles, resupply toilet paper and paper towels, and take inventory of other such essential goods.

Having kids help around the house can be beneficial to the both of you. Not only is it important for kids to develop a healthy sense of responsibility, but helping out with the chores can help them develop a better understanding and appreciation for what you do for them all the time as well.