Tackling Kids’ Clutter: Step 1 - Minimizing
MINIMIZING is the first and most essential step in our approach to taking control of clutter. The more you edit what you own, the easier the next two steps of Containing and Maintaining will be, simply because you have less and you’re being deliberate about what you keep and why. Experts agree that kids also thrive when they have more focused playtime with fewer toys and less distractions. You don’t need to be a minimalist to embrace this step. Just be realistic about your available storage space and how much (or little) time you want to spend maintaining it. If you need numbers to inspire your efforts, consider that the United States has 3.1% of the world’s children, while consuming 40% of the toys. Talk about excess! Now let’s talk about how best to make sure your kids have what they can use and enjoy, without the clutter.
We know there’s appetite for the best ‘mom hacks’ (and we’ll get to those below), but the most valuable tool is mastering the mindset. It’s one thing to spend the time clearing out things that are obviously never going to be worn, used or read again due to their condition or fit. We find, however, that what makes or breaks people’s success in this step, is their ability to tackle all the ‘maybe’ items effectively and navigate multi-person decision-making with care.
So we’re going to assume you’ve got the obvious outgrown and broken items out of the way and jump in with the tips that will set you up for the tougher decision-making. If you can embrace these, you’ll make the most of your existing space with less ongoing work, helping your play space feel bigger, and your kids feel proud and inspired…
Tackle your own things first. That’s right, we recommend starting with a category of yours! Kids are impressionable and will model your behaviour so choose an area of your own where they’ll notice the impact of decluttering and witness the benefits. (We bet you can even uncover valuable space to tap into for Step 2 - Containing!)
Focus on favourites & essentials. This is your chance to make the experience rewarding and positive. Gather all their toys together in the main play area and engage your kids by asking about their favourite things, putting them into a ‘keep’ pile. Tell them you want to give these things special spots. If you’ve observed there are certain things that no longer get much use, find out why. You may be surprised to learn something is broken, needs new batteries, has missing pieces, or just doesn’t interest them anymore. If you can help them address the issue, do it and the toy will feel like new again. (Any more involved repairs should go in a ‘to do’ pile for another time—stay focused). If it’s beyond repair or not worth the time, you can start your ‘discard’ and ‘donate’ piles.
Categorize what’s left. The rest is made up of your main kid clutter culprits: likely a mish-mash of game pieces, costumes, cards, figures, blocks, balls, etc. This is going to look like one big mess so best to give the kids a break at this point. It will also allow you to take more liberties with getting long-forgotten ‘treasures’ in the donate pile. (If you are in need of a break, our services include sorting!) Here’s what you’ll do:
Start sorting and grouping by category. This is where the real purging begins, weeding out the little things that are obviously clutter and not worth your time—cheap freebies like party favours and McDonald’s toys, broken pieces, etc. (We’ve seen these piles take over entire rooms and if this applies to you, rescuing the good stuff first and sweeping the rest into a donation pile can be even more efficient!)
Pare down the categories. Remove unnecessary duplicates, and only keep the most useful and fun items in each category. Eliminate entire categories that aren’t getting used and enjoyed—they inevitably get pulled out at playtime but ultimately get in the way of both play and clean up.
Create an ‘in rotation’ pile. Less frequently used sets with small pieces (games, puzzles, etc.) are best kept out of reach and will help prevent them all from getting mixed back together.
Face your own emotions. Here are some common reasons we have trouble parting with things that don’t make the ‘favourite’ cut and you know won’t get used—and the rationale to overcome your attachment:
Gifts show thoughtfulness and a wish for enjoyment, but keeping gifts much beyond that point becomes wasteful. Take a moment to be grateful for the intent and recognize when it’s time to let someone else enjoy the gifted item.
The original cost of something should not dictate if it stays or goes. Once it’s been spent, the money is gone. Having an expensive item sit there unused will make you feel guilty about the waste. Actually getting rid of something pricey will make you think twice before making a similar purchase in the future.
Your kid’s tastes might not match yours. Accepting this based on the toys they are drawn to (or not drawn to), will set the stage for other life decisions (extra-curricular activities and studies for instance). There’s no point in hanging onto things you’re personally attached to unless you genuinely think your child will grow into them. If that’s the case, pull them aside and bring them back out when they will feel new and relevant.
It feels wasteful to get rid of something perfectly good. The choice to part with something that is still in good condition means you are saving someone else from having to buy it new.
You’re waiting for the right person to pass something special onto. If you have someone in mind for something that was extra special to you, make sure they want it and get it to them promptly. But think twice before you give up valuable storage space while waiting to find the right person to pass everything off to. Trust that other items will find the right person via a donation centre and enjoy the freedom that comes from reclaiming your space!
Sentimental attachment to any of your child’s old favourites or even your own childhood toys is common—treat sentimental items as a category of their own. Once the fun of play has passed, think about how they can be enjoyed moving forward. For instance you can incorporate them into decor, or capture them in a great photograph. If you don’t want to display them, it could be a sign you are ready to part with them. As a last resort, group them with other sentimental items that hold special memories (to be edited at another time while you stay focused on the toys).
For any of the above that you’re really struggling with, give yourself permission to set some things aside first. Taking baby steps to feel the results of decluttering without the commitment may be what you need. Things can be lent to a friend or go in less prime storage space and revisited at a set date.
Edit what comes in promptly. No one prepares you for all the incoming papers & crafts kids bring home. To stay on top of it, empty backpacks together and get the stories behind the work. That connection is worth more than any piece of paper and can ease your reservations about tossing their work. (We find time daily to discuss what came home while I’m cooking, over dinner, or packing lunches.) Scan papers for essential info and recycle any non-essential pieces as soon as possible (if not daily, block off time weekly). Have a designated space to enjoy favourite pieces of art and important reminders and swap things in and out as new things come in. The odd extra special memory can be photographed or stored when it’s swapped with something new, but most can be tossed.
Once you’ve completed the things above, you’ll start to notice the sources of things that don’t have sustained value or interest and then your challenge is to cut them off at the source. This brings us to our #1 mom hack for minimizing clutter: limiting what comes in in the first place! Here are a few examples of how, along with our other best clutter-minimizing mom hacks.
Host no-gift or charitable birthday parties - ask for monetary gift rather than toys
Gift experiences over things to your own kids
Prioritize “open-ended” toys - multi-purpose items that inspire creativity and imagination
Teach kids to be thoughtful about what freebies to accept - they should only take what they love and will use
Think twice before getting duplicates for siblings - as soon as the novelty wears off it will be too much, and some items are equally fun to share
Notice what your kids aren’t putting away or taking care of and tell them whatever isn’t tidied up will get donated (see what they really care to rescue!)
Challenge yourself to fill up a donate bag weekly, if going through everything at once is too overwhelming
Use the ‘one-in-one-out’ rule - ask your child to find something they can donate to another kid after they get something new
Have fun minimizing and enjoy the results! We always feel great filling our trunk with donations from our clients, knowing they’ve reclaimed that much space in their homes. Next on the blog, we’ll be talking about how ‘Containing’ everything efficiently helps keeps clutter at bay. Be sure to return for our weekly post.
Removing a full trunk-load of toys from one playroom (headed for a donation centre) is so liberating and will make many other kids very happy!