Are your child’s stuffed animals in the midst of a population explosion? Are there always hundreds of Legos painfully underfoot? Are their rooms full of dirty clothes, broken crayons and forsaken toys? Experts agree if you take the time to make a place for everything, it will be easier to keep everything in its place.
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To create storage and seating in your child’s room try turning two bookcases (Ikea) on their sides. Then add a foam cushion covered in a fanciful fabric for seating. Place baskets inside each shelf to help sort and hold toys, or use clear plastic shoebox storage containers to hold little plastic figures, My Little Ponies or much-loved trucks and cars.
A Chic Twist
A swivel storage cabinet has it all: plenty of shelf space, hooks for bags, a corkboard for works of art and a full-length mirror. The swivel base makes the piece full of options. They can be found in two-sided or four-sided styles. These sturdy and elegant storage towers put the fun in functional
storage.
good read
teachable moments
“Where’s My Stuff?” by Samantha Moss and Lesley Schwartz with illustrations by Michael Wertz offers tips for helping pre-teens become organized at school and at home. This guide shares step-by-step recommendations for decluttering, managing a schedule and creating organized habits. The book shows your child how to spend less time looking for things and leaving them more time for fun.
smart solutions
shooing away the clutter
If you are lucky enough to have a closet use it to its fullest. Fill it with shelving units, bins, and plenty of child-level hooks. Also use the back of a door for added storage with an over-the-door shoe organizer — perfect for Barbies, action figures or trading cards. Also, as all teachers know, cubbies are one of the best organizing tools for their classrooms. Try using them in your child’s bedroom, too. They will recreate and reinforce what your child is doing at school. Place them in the entryway to their rooms, creating a “drop zone.”