Traci Michele Photography

Photography

Clearing The Clutter Helps Calm Children

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Does this look like your child’s bedroom?

Did you know that clearing your home of clutter and staying organized can calm your hyper child?  Don’t get me wrong, I know (as a mother of a 4 and 2 year old) how quickly messes can happen!  And realistically they will… 

But…

I’ve tried it. 

We’ve not been able to see our rug after a morning “play session”.  Kids are crazy.  Mom is stressed.  Things are out of control.

Then…

We all pitch in and clean up the house.  A minute later the kids are much calmer and happier (and so is Mommy)!

Why?

1. Many children have difficulty staying calm in a hectic environment.

2. The “less is more” approach helps reduce sensory overload which can cause stress and hyperactivity.

3. Clutter can make kids feel out of control.

10 Tips For Clearing The Clutter & Getting Organized

1. Don’t hold onto everything.
2. Get rid of things you don’t need (donate or sell).
3. Get some bins to throw toys into.
4. Sort and simplify.
5. Label bins and storage units.
6. Teach kids to pick up after themselves.
7. Have specified locations for stuff.
8. Put things back in their rightful place.
9. When your child receives new toys, let them donate some old ones.
10. Have one day a week where you go through closets and drawers; throw away scraps of paper, broken toys, mismatched items, etc.

Do you have any tips for keeping your kid’s STUFF contained?
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Comments

  6. We add cleaning up after ourselves into our daily schedule. And I completely agree! It has made a huge difference for us since we started it too.

    Thanks for sharing the great suggestions. I am going to have to share this one with my FB friends!

    Blessings!

    Building Home with Him,

    Mary Joy

  7. Believe it or not I use our hall closet to organize the boys clothes so that they don’t have clothes in their rooms. This way I can keep a better handle on the mess. The clothes are kept in plastic bins. One for undergarments, one for pants, one for long sleeved shirts and one for t-shirts. Each boy has his own shelves.(2 each) This keeps the clothes mess in their rooms to a minimum. LOVE it. The boys only have one set of sheets each so the hall closet wasn’t needed and the spare bedroom has a closet so that can be used for extra blankets.

  8. Hi Traci… I personally like the approach of closing the door… out of sight out of mind…. of course my kids are grown now and their messes went with them. Now, the only mess is MY mess.

  9. I need to clear some clutter – but I don’t have children…just a dog. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Nice to meet you.

  10. As my daughter got older, I had three basic rules: 1. Path in case of fire, 2. No food left in the room and 3. Dirty clothes in the hamper. The third one didn’t always happen, lol. Basically at that point, it was her room to do with what she wanted. She is married now and keeps an immaculate
    house! Who would have known!

  11. I try to have the girls pick two of their favorite toys for their room and everything else is supposed to be in their play room downstairs.

  12. WOW Traci – What an awesome post! Kids CAN learn to organize and keep down the clutter. I think having tubs and a laundry basket are essential. If we do just a little everyday to maintain the order, it isn’t as tough as if we wait for a week..or three. Thanks a million for sharing.

  13. I did a post about organizing kids toys and clothes! We find that clear rubbermaid bins that are labeled with a word and a picture are VERY helpful!