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 5 Tips to Help Kids Clean Their Room
Submitted by Susan Stewart on April 24, 2009 - Organizing Kids
Susan Stewart
  • Pare down. Go through the things in your child’s room and help them let go of things they have outgrown or no longer use. It can be overwhelming to find a pair of shorts from a drawer stuffed so full that it can barely close.
  • Give things a home. Go through your child’s toys and determine which ones they still play with. Sort the “keep” toys into categories and find containers that are the correct size to hold them. Label the containers. Pictures work well for kids who cannot read. Make sure the containers are easy to get in and out of or those things are not likely to get put away.
  • Use a miscellaneous basket. What do you do with all of those McDonald’s toys and trinkets from birthday parties? I have a miscellaneous basket in each of my kids’ rooms. I go through them periodically  and donate some things to the treasure box at school.
  • Give your child’s toys a limit. When this container is full of legos or Barbies, then we have too many and will need to let go of some. This teaches boundaries of personal possessions.
  • Purge regularly. Children’s needs and interests change quickly when they are a young age. You may need to go through their toys with them on a semi-yearly to yearly basis and ask them “I noticed you don’t seem to be playing with these any longer. Could we donate these and use this container to store _______?” Just before their birthday or Christmas are especially good times to do this.

 
View all articles by Susan Stewart
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