January is a time for new beginnings. Use this time to create a new beginning for your child's room. An organized room means a happier child and parent. It might seem daunting but use these five tips to get started, and you'll be done before you know it.
1. Start at the bottom
Get on your child's level and look at their room with a fresh eye. See what works and what doesn't. Are shelves too high? Is there space that isn't being utilized? Put together a plan.
2. Purge
With new toys and clothes coming in, unused ones need to leave. Have your child help with this step and decide together what will stay, go to the trash, or be donated. Make this step go faster by agreeing that if a toy or item of clothing hasn't been used in X amount of months, it needs to go.
3. Buy
After buying countless gifts for Christmas, spending more might not sound positive. But there's a possibility you already have these organization items, and if you don't, the investment is well worthwhile. To make a difference in your child's room you need bins and hooks. Bins allow easy access to toys and books, and hooks help to use space that wasn't used before.
4. Label
Labeling bins, boxes, and drawers will help everyone (including you) remember where things go. When everything has its place, the room will look a lot neater.
5. Rotate
Once you have organized you might see that you still don't have room for everything. Don't despair. Putting seasonal clothes in the garage is always an option. And for toys, you can always keep bins of toys in the garage and rotate them with the ones in the room every three or four months. Your child will most likely have forgotten about some of the stored toys, and it will seem like Christmas all over again!
If you want your newly organized room to stay organized, make sure you teach your child what is being done so they can keep it up on their own. And always remember to have fun doing it!
Contributed by Darcy, Fairmont Private Schools
