How to Declutter Kids Stuff
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Do you ever look around your kids room and think, where did all of this stuff come from? How about your living room…is it filled with toys and games? Would you rather it be a more calm and peaceful place for the family to gather together?
If you find yourself nodding along to the questions above, you are not alone. In fact, dealing with kids’ things are one of the most asked about topics in the decluttering world.
But, I have some tough love for you today.
Your kids are not to blame for the clutter problem…YOU ARE.
Remember, I said it was going to be tough love. But, don’t worry. We are going to walk through three main issues when it comes to kids clutter and by the end of this you will have an action plan so you can move forward.
Quick update - The Wannabe Minimalist Show is now live! The Wannabe Minimalist Show is a weekly podcast for those of us that want to live more minimalist, but do not want to throw everything away. On the show we explore our relationship with clutter and what it means to be intentional about the stuff we let into our homes, lives, and relationships. This week we discuss this topic of how to declutter your kids stuff in episode 4. If you’re like me and enjoy listening to podcasts, I’d love for you to give it a listen and let me know what you think. You can listen in the player below or find it on iTunes at LittleGreenBow.com/iTunes
So, let’s take a minute to realize that your kids did not purchase the items in your home by themselves. And maybe it was’t you either, but instead a well-meaning family member or friend. Either way, this is your home and you are in charge of what comes in. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, and you know that you are in control, let’s take a look at the three major issues I see over and over when it comes to kids and clutter and how to fix it.
Issue #1. THE KID THAT’S ALWAYS LOSING THINGS
One issue that often comes up are kids that can never find shoes on their way out the door or their special toy when they need it. This almost always results in s stressful situation on your part as you are trying to get out the door or on the part of your children because they are concerned they will never find their toy again.
Think about how much time could be saved and stress avoided if you always knew where things were. That’s why it’s so important to give every item in your house a home.
Take a quick moment to examine your own life. Do you model the correct behavior by putting your things in a specific place day in and day out? If so, tell your kids about where you put your things and gently demonstrate how you are able to find what you want, when you want. If you’re not doing this now is a great time to work on this together and involve your kids in the process.
An example to get you moving is to set up an entry zone. This is a space where you enter and leave your home and it does not have to be the same as the guest entrance. This is generally where you keep keys, sunglasses, handbags, backpacks, shoes, and anything else you need on your way out the door. Get your kids to help and ask them where they want their things to be kept. It’s important to get their buy-in so that they have some skin in the game.
Then, and here’s where the real work comes in, make sure to keep the items here - EVERYDAY. Put them in the right spot the minute you walk in the door. It only takes a couple extra seconds, but it’s life changing.
What are some of the areas you can set up in your home to make your day-to-day life easier? Maybe you need the entry zone from the example. Or maybe you need a lunch station where you put all of the lunch containers and pre-packed foods for their lunch. This is where the lunch boxes from the previous day get put away and where you pack the next day’s lunch. Perhaps a homework area with all of the pencils, pens, papers, calculators, and other supplies your kids need in order to concentrate and get it done is something that would help your family the most.
Whatever your hot button is, think about how you can create a designated space for the necessary items around that task and make it easy for everyone to participate.
Issue #2. THE KID THAT NEVER CLEANS UP
If your home looks like a tornado came through at the end of the day, then you could be suffering from issue number 2. Our home used to look like this and honestly we still struggle with this sometimes.
If maintaining a clean home is a struggle for you too, I recommend a 15 minute pickup party before getting ready for bed. If you need extra motivation, I recommend you do the pickup session before dessert as a family. Set the timer, put on some good tunes, and get going. Make it fun and your family will want to join you.
When the timer buzzes after 15 minutes, your home will be much cleaner and you didn’t have to do it all yourself. I promise your kids are capable of cleaning up! They clean up at school or daycare so there is NO REASON they cannot do this at home with you. It comes down to making cleanup accessible (like tossing toys in a bin), setting the expectation that everyone cleans up, and not expecting perfection.
It is also SO MUCH EASIER to get your family to help clean up when you incorporate this tip with the advice from issue #1 and assign everything you own a designated place to go. This is the biggest reason our homes get messy. When items do not have a place they belong, it’s hard to know where to put them at the end of the day. To put that another way, your family is more likely to help clean up and put things away when they know where they go in the first place.
Let’s repeat that again…Your family will help clean up and put things away when they know where the things go.
A fun recommendation if your family is struggling to get on board, is to implement the “JailBox” idea. I talked about this idea on episode number 3 of the Wannabe Minimalist Show - 5 easy decluttering methods for when you’re feeling stuck. You can also read more in this blog post. This is when you take items that were left out and not put away and instead of putting them yourself, you put them in “jail”. In order to get these items back, a chore must be completed. It’s an easy and quick way to have a consequence for not picking up rather than nagging or yelling, which never seems to be as effective as we think it will be. :)
Let me know if you try out the 15 minute pickup party for a week. It’s worked really well for us and I think you’ll love it too.
Issue #3. THE KID WITH TOO MANY TOYS
Maybe you don’t think your kids have too many toys. But if they ever complain about being bored - even with a room FULL OF TOYS - chances are they are overwhelmed with how many toys they have and it’s too much.
If so, that’s where my tough love from earlier comes in.
Remember, your kids were not the ones who purchased these toys with their own money.
Am I right?
It’s the adults in their lives that have contributed to this overabundance. Whether that is you, their other parent, the grandparents, aunts and uncles, or friends…someone is using things to show love. Yes, gifts are some people’s love language, but that doesn't mean your home needs to house it all.
This is all just so we keep in mind that it’s not the child’s fault they have too many toys. Please do not blame them for the clutter. Okay, now that we have that out of the way, we can look at some solutions.
One of our favorite ways to declutter too many toys is to have a donation day. Talk to your kids about how other children do not have as much and by donating toys they no longer play with, they will be making another kid super happy. That has worked well for us and is perfect around the holiday season when we are more focused on spreading joy.
But, sometimes our daughter is not ready to let go of something even if she has outgrown it. In that case, I will box these items up and store them away for a while. After a little while, and if it seems like she’s tiring of the current toys, we rotate out the stored toys and it’s like getting new things. And sometimes that break is enough for her to see the toy next time and be ready to part with it.
Make sure to bring a big dose of empathy with you when you ask your kids to part with their things. Sometimes kids are fearful of letting toys go because they are not sure what life will be like without them. It’s a lot like what we adults experience when decluttering. For some of us, it can be scary. If that’s the case, your child needs to see that life is okay with less before fully committing. This is when I recommend boxing items up and storing them away before donating them.
Once you’ve decluttered the toys, the best thing you can do for the future is to limit new toys coming into your home. Try to swap things for experiences. When the next birthday or gift-giving holiday rolls around consider giving an experience. Some favorite ideas are tickets to the zoo, a children’s museum, or amusement park.
I would caution against going in and throwing away all your kids toys without their input. Sure it works for some, but it could really backfire. If you are tempted to do this, just store the items in the garage for a few weeks. If your kids end up wanting something you took away, it will be easy to retrieve it without having to buy it again. After a couple of months, you’d probably be okay donating the toys without guilt.
And that wraps up how to declutter your kids stuff.
I’d love to hear which option works best for your family in the comments below. Or let me know if any other issues or solutions you have when it comes to getting rid of kids clutter. We’ve got an awesome community here that loves to help and learn from each other.
