Addressing Miscellaneous Children’s Clutter

This month we have cleared away clothing, baby items and toys. Now we are going to tackle the miscellaneous items.  My first suggestion is to stop buying books!  There are amazing libraries that need your support.  Teach your child to appreciate what these libraries have to offer.  We still have a fair share of books at my home, and I would definitely prefer a book as a gift for my child than some battery operated piece of plastic junk, but clutter is clutter!  Most libraries not only have designated children areas, with books and videos, but also most offer different events like weekly reading times or movies. Schoolwork and artwork is another huge problem that seems to be the absolute worst during preschool and kindergarten years.  If you absolutely want to keep these items you can buy large flat portfolios to safely store these items.  Make sure you keep a critical eye of what you would like to keep.  Once again, we don’t want to create future clutter for our children.  Also, the longer you hold onto these items the more difficult it is to throw. A really nice alternative is to keep an art scrapbook.  Scrapbooking and the guilt and clutter surrounding it is a topic we are going to tackle another day, so if this is something you would like to start, simply place your (limited) items in a safe place for now.

Now, that you’ve reduced the items, it is time to organize.  Set up your child’s areas in zones.  Keep all art supplies in one area, games in another etc.

I am here to tell you that I lost every single last item from my daughter’s first years, every drawing, toy, tiny first clothes, books, blankets, etc. and I can honestly say that my daughter is no less special to me.  Memories don’t leave behind clutter.  Teach your children now that it is the people in their lives that need their focus, not their things.