It’s hard to get organized with kids, let alone keep everything in order once you’ve corralled the clutter. On top of keeping all of your own stuff organized, their belongings often get heaped onto your piles by necessity. Plus, every child is different and every year can bring new changes to how they treat the space around them.
In this post, we’ll explore five ways to make it easier to stay organized with kids, including:
- Helping them create a system that works for them
- Starting with their bedroom
- Creating a checklist with photos for each room they are responsible for
- Tempering your expectations
- Hiring a professional organizer
Let’s get started.
1. Help them create a system that works for them
Every kid is different and each one will have unique needs when it comes to getting (and staying) organized. Some children will learn to organize themselves (it happens!) and the best thing you can do is to respect and work within the system that they create. Others will need some guidance and a framework to help them, such as a clearly defined set of tasks and organizational tools and bins to assist with maintaining cleanliness. Some may even benefit from some professional assistance to really create a system that suits their needs.
When you’re creating a new organization system, be mindful of any additional hurdles your child might be facing. For instance, if your child struggles with executive dysfunction, create a system that takes this into consideration and makes staying organized as easy as possible. It might not look as aesthetically pleasing, but what is most important is that the system actually helps them stay organized.
Remember that your organizational style may not fit with your child’s, so try to be flexible and accommodating. The ultimate goal here is to create a system that your kid(s) can actually stick with and that reduces the amount of involvement you have in keeping the space clean.
2. Start with their bedroom
Work towards getting their bedroom clean first—and keeping it clean—before you start adding responsibilities in other parts of your home. Start with the big bedroom items:
- Dirty clothes in the hamper
- Clean clothes in their drawers or in the closet
- Toys put back in their bin or on the shelf
- Books or other physical media stored neatly off the floor
Getting your kids to manage these things could mean redesigning their room to add in more storage and other organizational tools to help them stay on top of things. Just remember, it is their room, and they should be allowed to organize by their rules—whatever will help them keep the space clean.
3. Create a checklist for every shared room
Once you have their room under control, it’s time to focus on other areas of the home. Your kids might disagree, but it’s absolutely reasonable to expect them to be responsible for putting away their own stuff in shared spaces, and sometimes even contributing more to the household if they are a bit older.
If your kid is responsible for tidying tasks in any other rooms of the house, create a list for them that clearly demonstrates the steps in the order in which things should be done, and outlines the expectations. This could include items such as:
- Are toys put away in the designated space?
- Are books and other physical media back on the shelves?
- Are coats, backpacks, and outerwear hung up?
- Are dirty towels and clothes in the hamper?
- Are dirty dishes in the dishwasher or sink?
- Have clean dishes been put back in the cupboards?
- Has the food been put back in the fridge, pantry or cupboard?
- Is everything off the floor?
If needed, you can also include photos to show them where things are expected to go and how they should look when put away. Once you have those tasks ticked off and new habits have formed, you can start to work on things like whether or not the floor has been vacuumed and washed.
4. Temper your expectations
Let’s face it—it’s basically impossible to get your home as organized as you want unless you have a lot of time to dedicate to it—which as a parent you probably don’t—or you have hired help that comes in at least once a week, which not everyone can afford. Instead of shooting for perfection, strive for off-the-floor and out of the way. As your kids get older, organization should become easier, especially if they start learning good organization habits when they’re young.
5. Hire a professional organizer
A professional organizer can give you real solutions that work for your unique home and personal circumstances. They provide an objective, empathetic voice and can help mediate any issues that crop up throughout the organizing process, such as disagreements over items that should be donated or how things should be organized in a given space. They also can help you compromise and create a system that works for everyone in the home, including young kids and teenagers.
Professional organizers can help with many projects, including room redesigns, and can be as hands-on as you need them to be, assisting with everything from planning to actually implementing your new organizational solutions.
Conclusion
You’re never done the unending task of organizing your home, especially if you have kids. Make the organizational process a little easier on yourself by:
- Helping them create a system that works for them
- Starting with their bedroom
- Creating a checklist with photos for each room they are responsible for
- Tempering your expectations
- Hiring a professional organizer
In need of a bit more guidance? Find more tips for getting your home organized:
- How to Organize your Home on a Budget: Tips from TSI
- How To Stay Organized After Decluttering Your Home
- How To Organize Your Home Using Stuff You Already Have
- Playroom Organization That Works - For You & Your Kids
Ready to get your home organized?
TSI's professional organizers can help with everything from decluttering to space planning to move management.
Featured Image by Freepik
About the author: Stephanie Rosenlund is the Director of Strategic Solutions at TSI, the long distance move and shipment provider for thousands of businesses, families, and individuals every year. Stephanie knows all the tips and tricks to make your move or shipment simple and specializes in freight shipping and interstate relocations. In her free time, she loves exploring the world with her husband and two kids.
