How to Organize Kids’ Stuff
Keeping your home organized can be challenging, but keeping your home organized when you have kids can be downright impossible! Learn how to organize kids’ stuff in this Lowe’s video:
Arts and Crafts:
As a parent, you probably know the pain of post-craft cleanup, and you likely just pick everything up and throw it into a bin. Getting them organized will make cleanup much easier.
Gather all your supplies and sort them, then put them into containers like clear bins, metal paint pails, Mason jars, baskets and stackable bins. Use a lazy susan and velcro for storing some crafting supplies on a table; this makes them secure but easy to reach. Label everything
Get an industrial-style bookshelf to hold all of the crafting supplies. Items used the most should be at eye level and accessible to kids. If you’re sharing space with adult crafting items, put those on the higher shelves.
Schoolwork and Artwork:
There’s nothing sweeter than kid’s artwork, but the sheer amount of it can feel overwhelming. You can put their masterpieces on display with a simple curtain rod. Determine how large you want the display area to be, then attach the rod using the provided brackets and screws. If you don’t hit studs, make sure to use anchors and attach it securely. You can hang artwork with simple curtain ring clips, and they can be easily swapped out without damaging them.
Wall-mounted mailboxes are a cute and easy solution for keeping school papers in order. You can use multiple mailboxes for storing different types of items. Hang them low enough so that kids can sort their paper work themselves.
Toys:
Toys are the most common organizational issue that parent have. No matter how many times you clean them up, it seems they are always scattered around everywhere.
Gather all the toys you need to corral and start sorting into piles of similar items. Store them by category in different size bins. Rope baskets or fabric bins are great for little kids because they are durable and have no potentially sharp edges or corners. Wooden bins are great for books as they are a little heavier and more durable. Pails are great for small toys like Legos or building blocks.
Containers don’t all need to be bright primary rainbow colors. You can use neutral-colored containers that blend in with the style of your home, which is important especially if the space is shared with adults.
Put your baskets and bins in a cube organizer. This is great for kids because it’s really easy for them to see and understand exactly where the containers go once playtime is over.
Video Games:
If you have tweens or teens, your TV area has likely been taken over by gaming system consoles, controllers, and accessories. In-drawer organizers with different size compartments are your best friends for getting this clutter under control. Use velcro or Command hooks to attach controllers to the side of the media unit and keep them (relatively) out of sight.
Backpacks and Jackets:
Your front entryway can become a dumping ground for backpacks and jackets. Create a kids zone by painting stripes on the wall. Drill a 1×6 pine board into the studs, then add hooks to the board for backpacks and jackets. Make sure the board is low enough on the wall so that your child can easily reach it. Place wooden creates for storing shoes, lunch boxes and other items at the base of the wall directly under the hooks. Paint the crates to match the stripes and tie everything together.
