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Declutter Your Kids Room
Are you lost in a mound of toys every time you walk into your childs room? Have you ever asked yourself “When did my child accumulate so much stuff?!”? Would you like to reclaim your living room? Then its time to declutter your kids room!
This is probably one of the most (if not THE most) difficult room you’ll declutter. Children often have attachments to toys, just like adults do. We see a toy that our child may have had since they were a toddler and instantly we’re transported back to that time. But as you’ve learned by now, being attached to things is not the way to go. Here are just a few ideas of strategies you can implement that will be relatively painless.
Starting with clothing is the easiest method when decluttering your kid’s room. Remove items that are beat up, no longer fit, or are never worn. This is a quick way to declutter and provide some extra space in the closet or dresser. Next, work your way onto toys. If you see a toy that is beyond repair it may be time to toss it. To determine if the item is beyond repair consider whether you could sell the item in its current condition. Then determine if you could fix it up. If you decide the answer is “no” to both of those, then toss it.
Toy Time Capsule
This one can be treated more like an adventure. Sit down with your child and build a “Time Capsule.” A cardboard box works just fine. Have your child put half of their toys into the center of the room, remind them to put the ones they really want to keep to the side and not in the center. From the big pile in the center of the room have your child pull out the ones that he or she no longer plays with but wants to hold onto. Try to limit this to 10 or 15 items, no more. Place these items into the time capsule and seal it up. The remaining toys can be donated. Tell you child that after 3 months you’ll reopen the time capsule, but only remove the toys from the capsule that he or she has asked about during those three months. The rest can be donated. 
The Clutter Bucket
This is probably the most effective trick, and we’ve heard lots of positive feedback on it. The Clutter Bucket is a great tool for motivating your children to keep their toys picked up. Designate a bucket for clutter to use when you clean. As you clean (or even just at the end of a regular day) walk around and pick up anything that has been left out. Into the Clutter Bucket it goes. There’s two ways you can use the Clutter Bucket.
- The first is by leaving things in the bucket and giving them “expiration dates.” With a small piece of masking tape, just write the date and then place the sticker on the item. After three months (or even one month), if the item has not been claimed and removed from the bucket, the item “expires” and should be donated or tossed.
- The second is as motivation for your children. When a toy winds up in the Clutter Bucket then your child must “buy” the item back. To do so, they must give you a different toy to purchase the original one back. This is a great way to allow your child the freedom to choose which toys they no longer need without feeling like you’re forcing them to do a huge overhaul.
Find New Rewards
Try not to use toys as a reward for good behavior, instead choose to spend time with your child. Using toys as a reward will just quickly pile up, and you’ll likely declutter those at a later time. By choosing meaningful events and spending time with your child instead, you’ll be passing down experiences not stuff. Aren’t experiences way better anyway?
Have a great day,
Aly
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For tips on how to begin your decluttering journey, you can Start Here, or snag a copy of the 30 Day Challenge (our Minimalism and Decluttering eBook).
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