3 Essential Steps to Tackling Kids Clutter
“Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities.” ~ Stuart Brown, MD
Since I became a parent, my two young boys have filled my life with more laughter, creativity, friendly competition and wonder. These two spirited kids also infiltrated my home with their stuff—toys, trinkets, treasures, crafts, etc. If play eases our burdens, why does the stuff they play with have the opposite effect on a parent? Stepping on LEGO, tripping over toy cars and feeling like there’s no end to the mess becomes a massive burden in itself. So how do we find the balance between encouraging play and keeping our sanity at home? Here are the 3 most important practices my family has embraced to help us take charge when it comes to kids’ stuff, leaving everyone more time to play:
Minimize: With kids, less really is more. Fewer toys means more space to play in, more room for imagination, and greater ease cleaning up after themselves. There are 2 ways to achieve this: Firstly, edit what you own regularly. Make room for their favourite activities and pare down everything else. (Sorry grandparents, if the giant plastic race track you bought them is not getting put to use here, we’ll let another kid enjoy it. Our folding wooden car ramp grandpa built got way more hours of play!) Some toys can be rotated in and out to keep them feeling fresh, but when it’s clear something really doesn’t keep their interest, pass it on. Secondly, limit what enters your house. Set boundaries around gifts, be selective about what hand-me-downs you want to accept, and skip the cheap freebies/souvenirs as much as possible.
Contain: A place for everything and everything in its place. This is a common organizing phrase although admittedly the latter part may feel like a never-ending battle with kids. (Isn’t half the fun dumping things?) But there are a few tricks other than just starting out with less toys that will help at clean-up time. Have one main storage area for toys (like a playroom) but give kids a special bin or cubby to keep their favourite things outside that area. That way, they can be free to play around you but their mess doesn’t leave a trail around the house. When their bin is full, it’s time to return things to the playroom. Within your main play room, establish zones and labelled storage solutions for key activities. Make frequently used items more accessible (open bins are the most child-friendly) and store sets with small pieces out of reach from younger kids before everything gets mixed together.
Maintain: Do the T.E.A.M. work. ‘Together Everyone Achieves More.’ This couldn’t be more true for families: establishing good habits takes the pressure off any one person (eventually at least) and passes on good habits to kids—after all, it does take ongoing effort to get things back in their place after use. 5-minutes daily (e.g. before dinner or bed) is a good start. You can have some fun with it, making it a race or a game and keeping it quick (set a timer or play a song). Additionally, dedicating another solid 30-minutes each weekend is beneficial, along with seasonal changeovers and purges which are a must.
Although I get asked all the time if my house is always perfect, in my experience, no one’s is. But the difference now is that my perspective shifted: I enjoy my space more and I’m not as bothered by the messes since we have a system. When things that are well-cared for and actively being enjoyed are out of place, even the mess becomes beautiful. Tidying doesn’t feel like a burden either. When things all have a designated place, it takes the hassle out of putting them back. With these 3 steps you can spend less time overall cleaning and organizing, freeing up more time for the fun things, like play.
Photo Credit: Janis Lempera