About ready to pull your hair out? Kids room or the play room a mess? Are you tired of yelling at your kids to clean up their rooms or feeling like no matter how you try the kids’ rooms are always an unorganized mess … or even worse, a health hazard? Try these quick tips to de-clutter and organize your kids’ rooms – and keep it that way!
1. Model it – Well face it, if you can’t keep your own room clean and tidy your kids kind of have a right to say “but Mom, you don’t do it either!” right? Take some time to look at your own space and make sure you’re modeling the behavior you’re now asking of your kids.
2. Simplify – Most kids, in America at least, have way too many toys in their possession. Take a day to purge out the old stuff and either do a big garage sale (let the kids keep the earnings) or donate it all to your local goodwill. Keep only the things that your kids have really played with over the last 6 months to a year. Everything that hasn’t been touched (or doesn’t have some sentimental value) must go.
3. One Thing out at a time – This is probably one of the best, yet hardest, concepts to encourage and enforce. It’s the one toy/game out at a time rule. If a toy is out and not being played with it should be put away before another toy or game comes out. Pretty simple, right?
4. Everything in it’s place – following on the one thing out at a time rule make sure your toys, books, stuffed animals and toys each have a confirmed resting spot or storage spot so when your kids are cleaning up and putting away, they know exactly where that item goes… every time.
5. Have zones for multiple kids – Establish clean up zones for families with multiple kids. Each child has one section of the playroom that they’re responsible to keep tidy. Make sure, though, that the other kids aren’t just throwing their messes into another child’s jurisdiction to make it easy!
6. Use under bed boxes – If you don’t have a lot of space for storage, utilize under bed boxes for storage of some of the toys and games. It’s a great way to organize too.
7. Space bags – Space bags (you know, those special bags that you load up and then suck the air out with the vacuum?) are great for stuffed animals and other soft toys. Kids love them too because when they open them up, the stuffed animals come to “life” when the air hits them again!
8. Categorize – Keep your zones organized by categorizing your play spaces – reading nook is over here, hot wheels cars and tracks are over there, all the dolls and clothes stay over here, etc.
9. Clean up song – Once a day, play a special song during clean up time. Make it fun, sing along and help your kids during this special part of the day.
10. Reward for a job well done – After the clean up song, enjoy some milk and cookies or other special treat for a job well done!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hot Wheels® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
About Hot Wheels®
Since 1968, Hot Wheels® has been passionate about creating thrilling vehicle experiences through innovative product and content. With a fan base of more than 41 million people, Hot Wheels® is the No. 1 vehicle property in the United States producing the coolest cars imaginable. The Hot Wheels® brand began as a line of 16 1:64-scale die-cast vehicles; today, it has evolved into a true, global lifestyle brand for boys of all ages with segments that range from aftermarket parts to licensed apparel to branded digital content from Team Hot Wheels™, a real-life race crew of professional drivers performing over-the-top stunts.
More on Hot Wheels® Wall Tracks™ sets: http://www.hotwheels.com/walltracks
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