How to Organize Your Child's Bedroom

Clearing Out the Clutter

Sort through the laundry. To begin, place all dirty laundry into the hamper, freeing up more space and quickly removing obstacles. Place clean laundry in drawers and the closet. Clothes are the number one culprit of clutter, especially in a child’s room, so make sure you keep on top of storing and sorting clothes.

Place clothes in their designated space. Each article of clothing should have a distinct and separate space. Although it may be easier to simply store everything in the dresser, or everything in the closet, each different type of clothing should have its own place. Have your child try on their clothes so you can separate out items that don’t fit for keepsakes or donation. Place coats, sweaters, dresses, and shoes in the closet. These items will typically be too bulky to fit into a dresser drawer. Place shorts, pants, and leggings in their own drawer, or their own section of a single drawer, setting aside a separate drawer or section for shirts. Do the same for pajamas, socks, and underwear. This way, when you need an article of clothing, you know exactly where to find it.

Make the bed. The bed can serve as an excellent focal point for the room, and creates a useful workspace as you organize. Smooth the sheets, comforter, and pillow, and place any decorative elements such as throw pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals in their proper place.

Identify donation items. Identify any unused or unwanted toys or articles of clothing, and place them into a designated donation bin.

Look for toys covered in a thin layer of dust. If dust has enough time to accumulate, your child has likely lost interest in the toy. Similarly, look for clothing items that have remained folded and untouched through 2-3 weeks of laundry. These items are not being worn, and someone else may be able to benefit from them.

Remove waste. Throw away or recycle any unneeded items, such as old school papers, food and drink items, broken toys, or irreparable clothes. Be sure to thoroughly examine problem areas, such as under the bed, under dressers or shelves, and in the closet.

Arranging the Room

Incorporate the organization into the room décor. To make it easier for your child to keep their things organized and have fun while doing it, make the organization techniques part of the room décor. Choose items that match the color or theme of the room, and create labels that show or tell which items go where. For instance, label a sock bin with pictures of socks so your child knows where to put them. Alternatively, choose a toy chest in your child’s favorite color or with a picture of their favorite character on it so they’ll be more inclined to use it.

Determine where everything goes. Everything should have a designated place, down to the last sock. As you glance around at all of the askew items, identify the basic areas in need of organizing and tidying. Clothes should go into closets and drawers, toys into toy chests, books into bookcases, and so on.

Create a rotating toy system. Select several baskets for toys, and place a variety of objects in each bin. Keep one basket in the room, and the remaining baskets in a closet or other storage space. Once per month, switch baskets. This will keep the room neatly organized, and clutter-free.

Group books according to a system. Books can be arranged according to author’s name, color, size, or subject. Ask your child how they would like their books to be arranged, have them help arrange their books, and place them back into their bookshelf.

Eliminate clutter from desks and craft tables. Although the tendency is to think less is more where school and craft supplies are concerned, children benefit from limited options. For desks, try to limit the number of objects to 2-4 writing utensils, 1-2 notebooks, along with some erasers, paperclips, etc. However, if your child is in school, they may have more items that need to stay out on the desk. For craft spaces, provide your child with 2-3 types of writing utensil (a box of crayons, a single set of watercolors, and a handful of markers, for instance), and some construction paper. Keep hazardous materials such as glue and scissors on a high shelf easily accessible to you, but impossible for your child to reach.

Mend or throw away any broken books, toys, or clothes. You might be tempted to hold onto sentimental items, but these can stack up quickly and create a mess. If you came across several broken toys, torn-up books, or damaged clothing items, either set them aside to be fixed, or place them in your trash or recycle bin. The most common source of clutter is surplus. Taken inventory of your child’s room, and set aside duplicate items, as well as waste and donation objects; children do not need the same toy in five different colors or incarnations.

Doing Regular Upkeep

Once per week, do a quick check. Remove errant items from the closet, under the bed, and all surfaces in your child’s room. Place rogue toys, escaped books, or neglected pillows on or in their designated space.

Rotate your chores. Rather than doing an all-over organization every month, rotate your area of focus each week. Take 10-15 minutes per week, and focus on the desk one week, following by the closet the next, and so forth. This will keep the room tidy and organized, without the need to set aside a large chunk of time.

Keep your child involved. Show your child age-appropriate chores, and encourage them to engage in these chores every day. When you think your child is old enough, teach them to organize their own room. At first, you can show them what to do and how to do it, then make it their own responsibility. A toddler can be encouraged to fold their pajamas and make their beds each morning. A school-age child is capable of putting books away, arranging work areas, and putting laundry away. Children 7 and older are capable of helping with laundry, throwing away trash, and performing routine cleaning tasks.