Organizing Your Children's Closets
ARTICLE 103c

It is great to help your children get organized. One of the mistakes that we make as parents is to think that we have to do everything for our children. In many cases, all we need to do is give them the right space to keep themselves organized (this works in a perfect world, but in reality it helps a lot!).

How do you learn how to help your kids get organized? Depending upon the age of your children there are many tips that can help. The first steps are by showing a good example of your own closet space and then getting them involved in organizing their personal space.

Once they are organized, your children will be much happier because they will be able to find toys, games and all of that school memorabilia. In the beginning steps of organization, there is a feeling of accomplishment and pride in their own space. Make sure that once done with the task of organizing, you show some positive recognition for their effort.

Young Children:
Make a game out of organizing toys and clothing. Be ruthless, go through your child's clothes and get rid of anything that they don't like, don't' wear, or doesn't fit. Give these items away or take them to a children's consignment store. Organizing play clothes and school clothes in their closet to make it easy to get dressed on those hectic mornings. Make it simple and quick to get going in the morning and leave yourself with an extra couple of minutes.

You can place a hamper a closet for dirty clothes, consider a built-in toy chest or extra shelves. A shoe rack goes a long way to that daily question of "where is that other shoe?". Adding a second closet bar at a lower level that your youngster can reach to select their own clothes. Organizing clothes by type of garment, and garment use: dress clothes vs play clothes; dresses and skirts at one end, jackets and overalls at the other end; etc.

Older Children:
Seeing your young adult's needs is key in getting them organized. A young person who likes to read, by need lots of shelf space. Your young athlete may need a bin for sports equipment, or a shoe rack to organize athletic shoes. A young aspiring dancer might want a full length mirror. For the young adult, a closet with a pullout ironing board could come in handy for that, "I'm running late and my clothes are wrinkled" morning. The types of activities that they pursue in their daily lives may give you a clue as to what types of organizational accessories they may need for their closet or bedroom.

Enjoy your children!