It's that time again! Summer is over and the big kids are back in school. Time to tackle that tornado in the playroom and get the littles ready for a TON of fun!! Let's talk about a few tips to purge, sort, and organize your kids’ happy place for maximum creative play.
Remember, though, as much as we love order and organization, there's a fine line between too much structure and living in chaos. It is important to embrace creativity and the “mess” so kids can engage in sensory play. We'll help you find a happy medium of organization for you and joyful learning opportunities for the kiddos.
Tip #1: Group Items in Bins by Category
While multi-sensory play is super important, oftentimes kids feel overwhelmed with their options. You can probably relate- when you have too much in your space, it's hard to know what you ACTUALLY have.
One way to help with this is to group like with like. Put the puzzles and games in one space, away from the dress-ups and the art supplies. Vehicles and tracks don't usually like sharing space with Barbie and her sisters (unless they’re driving to the Dream House!). While you're at it, let's use some matching bins to separate the groupings. Bonus points if they're clear so it's easy to see what’s inside.
Tip #2: Create a Simple Clean Up System with Your Kids
Unlike most other spaces, in playrooms, sometimes less is more. As pretty as WE'D all love for it to look, your kids' space is actually, shockingly, for…your kids. Work with them to come up with the system that works best.
Define broad categories and use larger containers. Sometimes your best bet is to gather some large baskets or laundry hampers for a quick toss-in pick up. It looks pulled together for you and is a task they can easily complete in a hurry, while you may or may not sing the Barney Clean Up song (Whoops! My age is showing...).
Tip #3: Encourage Your Littles to Use Basic Organizational Skills
One of the best ways to encourage your kids to keep up with their space is to have them help! What a great opportunity to teach them basic organization skills to carry through life.
Set aside a Donate Box designated for kids who may not have many toys. This is a great way to purge while letting your kids see that each toy will have a special new place to go.
Involve them in discussions about which toys they play with simultaneously. These are the beginnings of your categories!
LABEL! Find a fun font for your young readers or use images or photographs of what the bins contain.
An Orderly & Functional Playroom
In the end, while a playroom can certainly be beautiful, it's more important that it's functional. Work toward a general system where order, messiness, creativity, and learning all combine. It needs to be a place where your kids want to imagine, dream, and just be kids.
If you love organizing tips you can use right away, you'll really love our newsletter. Subscribe here to get the good stuff. ;)
Cheers,
Kate
Comments