Get ready, set, go

The year 2013 has come and gone; the Christmas tree has once again been put away, but what do you do with all those toys and stuff your children received Christmas?

Before too much of 2014 has passed by, make a plan and take action to carry out that plan to declutter your child’s room. The first step is to include your child in decisions about organizing his room if your child is old enough to do so.

The second step is to divide the things in the room into subjects or areas of interest. Remember how your child’s preschool class was divided into different subject areas: home living or dramatic play, blocks, art, science and nature, etc. Begin to put “like” things together and use the “kindergarten model” as a way to think organization.

The third step is together with your child decide what should remain and what should be gone from the room. As you and your child work together to declutter and organize his room, you will begin to get a glimpse into what is becoming uninteresting and what interests are emerging in your child.

Don’t be tempted to get one big toy box and tell your child to throw everything in there. Your child will become frustrated because his toys will get broken and game pieces will get lost. Everything will be pulled out each time your child tries to find a toy.

Some of the reasons children’s rooms get cluttered are: items have no home, storage containers are not easily accessed and the child was not part of the process of deciding where containers go and what toys to put in the containers.

Next, plan the areas or zones of the room: sleeping, games, toys (divided into toys that are alike or played together), arts and crafts, dressing and grooming, schoolwork (Zones depend on age of child.).

Steps to organizing:

• Decide on areas or zones in the room

• Sort

• Purge

• Containerize (when possible)

Good containers to consider are: stuffed animal hammock; plastic seethrough bins; spaces for small part sorting; basketball hoop over laundry basket to encourage clothes pickup; plastic dishpans or tubs; containers for markers, crayons, glue, etc.; wooden puzzle trays; bulletin board for putting up special artwork and over-the-door-clear pockets.

• Assign a home – Decide if the container or items go on a shelf, in the closet or elsewhere.

Label the containers and shelves with words and pictures (if the child can’t read yet) • Practice – A child will not form new habits overnight. But as parents, help them get into the habit of picking up their rooms each evening before dinner time. The younger the child, the better it is for parents to pitch in and model cleaning up the room.

• Do regular “tune-ups” – This will help keep a child’s room orderly. Look for signs of disinterest in certain toys or items. Purge them as the child dictates. Be supportive and helpful as you teach your child to become an organizer.

So get ready, get set, go to organizing your child’s room and keeping it organized.

Dianne Glasgow is a family and child specialist at the LSU AgCenter in Caddo Parish. She can be reached at dglasgow@agcenter.lsu.edu, 226-6805 or 464-2552.