Get the Clothes Under Control
Start by spending time with your child and have them try on all of their clothes.
Children grow so fast that it may be discouraging to see that something you got for a Christmas gift no longer fits. But there's no sense keeping something that will never fit again. Don't forget shoes, socks, underwear, and jackets. Collect outgrown clothing in a bag, make a list, and
donate the outgrown items to a charity.
Next, put together outfits by coordinating colors and patterns. If some shorts fit great, be sure there are a couple of shirts that match.
Help your child make a "to buy" list of the items needed in the right colors colors and sizes.
If you have time, why not add more shelving or hanging poles in the closets before you put things back? If you're really ambitious, how about a total closet makeover, with shelves, drawers, lighting and hanging bars?
Your child can:
- Try on clothing.
- Make outfits.
- Fold and sort clothing by category -- shorts, tank tops, white socks, etc.
- Replace neat piles onto shelves or bins in the closet.
- Help take outgrown clothing to a charity drop-off location.
Sort Through the Toys
Is your child's room overflowing with toys? Serious sorting might be in order.
Begin by getting out all the toys. They'll think this is fun. Put everything into the middle of the room. Make piles! What's old or outgrown? Put any unneeded items in a bag for charity.
What's indispensible? Do you have room to get it in order. If not, think about building extra shelving or adding boxes or other storage to a closet. If there are a lot of things that your child just cannot part with, you might need to use every inch of space in the room to find a place to put them.
Once your child has decided what stays, evaluate how the remaining items can be stored. Purchase storage boxes, baskets, or free-standing shelves. Or put a basic chest of drawers in the closet for games, doll clothes, or craft supplies.
Be sure to label all boxes, and put like items in each box. Keep paints separated from doll clothes, or cars from tea sets. You'll find that it's much easier for your child to put things away if everything has a home and is well labeled.
Your child can:
- Select broken toys to toss or fix.
- Pick out unused toys to give away.
- Locate parts and pieces that belong together and sort them into containers.
- Store like items together (games, Legos, doll clothes, and so on).
