Here are my 5 tips for keeping your home organized when you have kids:
1. Say NO to more stuff. Contrary to what your
child tells you, they will NOT die if they don’t get the really cool toy that
the neighbor kid has. Start now, teaching your kids that keeping up with the
Jones’ isn’t necessary. Keep the toy-buying to only holidays and birthdays, and
if your child does get a new toy, then follow the “one item in, one item out”
rule and have them choose something they no longer use to donate. In our
family, we reassess all of the toys in the house at Christmas and birthday
times, clearing out the things they’ve outgrown or no longer love to make room
for the new things they’ve received as gifts. Which brings us to our next tip…
2. Quality over quantity. It’s not how many toys
your kids have, it’s the quality of those toys! Your kids will get more “play
value” with open-ended toys which allow them to use their imagination. Steer
clear of that electronic beeping toy that only does one thing… your child will
be bored with it in a month’s time. Instead, opt for things like blocks, dolls,
vehicles, dramatic play items, etc… toys that can be used multiple ways and for
many years (and encourage well-meaning relatives to do the same)
3. A place for everything, and everything in its
place. To store toys and other kid paraphernalia,
find baskets or bins to separate toys by type, and then label the baskets. For
pre-readers, it’s helpful to have pictures on the labels, as well. This makes
clean-up time easier for the little ones, as they will soon learn where each
item belongs. Inexpensive bins are readily available from places like IKEA,
Target or even your local dollar store.
4. Encourage regular “clean ups” throughout the
day. Yeah, this tip is a little trickier to follow through on, but try to encourage
your kids to tidy up regularly. In our family, we have regular “clean up” times
at certain times of the day: before we go out, before lunch and before dinner.
We also encourage the concept of putting away one item before taking out
another. This doesn’t always work, but we try!
5. Lead by example. Remember that old saying “Do as
I say, not as I do?” Yeah, well it doesn’t work. Your kids are watching you,
and learning from your behavior. Clean up your own messes as you expect them to
clean theirs. When you get a new item for your home, get rid of one item, to keep your own clutter
in check.
Now, if you are currently swamped under way
too much stuff, give yourself a little time to work through the clutter. Maybe
start by helping your kids choose one item per day to give away, and one piece “junk”
to throw away (I’m talking about those little party favor toys that make their
way into your home, or broken toys, or things with missing pieces) In time, you
will have things pared down enough that it will be easy to organize and
maintain.
Next post, I will show you some pictures of
our home’s toy and craft storage areas, so you can see how we implement some of
the above tips!
Great ideas Jenney. I will bego implementing some of them in our home. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts.
ReplyDeletesabrina
Thanks, Sabrina! I'm glad you found the post useful!
ReplyDelete