Kids and Clutter

Some Other Great Tips for Keeping Your House Organized

• Make clean-up easy by assigning a basket to each family member and/or room. Odds and ends found all over the house can be dropped into the appropriate baskets. Family members pick up their baskets and put their wayward items where they belong.
  
  
• Small, single uncategorized items can go into one bucket or container. Mark it "Stuff" and go through it frequently. (I'm often amazed what winds up in ours, including a piece of pizza and my lost car keys.)
  
  
• To avoid feeling like you are in the business of toy management, keep the clutter down by recycling toys that have been outgrown (and have no sentimental value) or are irreparably damaged. Enlist your kids' opinions about who should receive the toys. The same rule works for outgrown or outmoded clothing. Perhaps someone else less fortunate can use your child's in-still-good-condition garments.
  
  
• Is your house overflowing with the work of your budding artiste? Try these art storage tips:
  • A cheap, vinyl three-ring binder filled with plastic sheet protectors is a perfect way to archive smaller art pieces. You can date and label each book and your child can look at her work anytime.
    
    
  • Have your child create his own portfolio out of brown butcher paper to store larger pieces of art. Fold the paper in half to create an envelope, seal the sides with glue or staples, and your child can decorate his portfolio.
    
    
  • Have an ugly wall in your family or play room? Cover the wall with corkboard and let your kids design their own gallery of work.