04/28/2022
Organizing kids' rooms can be complicated all on their own, but if it's time to help your child sort and purge his/her toys it can be especially challenging. Here are some tips that I have found helpful over the years:
**Focus on one area at a time.
Going one bookshelf, one dresser, one portion of the closet at a time can make things less overwhelming. It also helps parents and kids see progress as they work together.
**Let the timer be the boss so you do have to.
Set a timer Try starting with 10-15min increments and make a rule that everyone will take a break when the alarm goes off. Decide ahead of time how long that break will be and set another timer letting you know when it's time to get back to work. As you and your child get into a groove, they will often be the ones asking for a longer time so they can accomplish more.😊
**Give to a specific cause or individual.
This is especially helpful if your child is having a hard time letting go of things you know they haven't played with them in a while. Talk about how much fun those toys were when they were played with and how much fun other kids could be having with them if they were actually being used. Ask your child to think of a specific family or organization the toys could be gifted to. When you do this you might be surprised at how generous your child gets at passing their things along.
**Pare down, don't purge.
It's completely normal for kids to have a hard time letting go of things so, if you need to, do it gradually. If there are two of the same or similar toy hold both up and say, "Pick one." If they want to keep both but hold up another toy they are willing to get rid of, go with it. They are participating!
If there is any item or set you know they haven't played with but they aren't ready to let it go, try setting a number of how many items they CAN keep. Then let them choose their absolute favorites. Set a date on the calendar in a month or so to come back and talk about whether they really played with those items. If not, you can revisit if it's time to gift the item(s) on.
**Let them have control.
If a child doesn't want to let items go, give them options. This could be allowing them chose one or two items to keep out of a pile of five. Or maybe they come up with the creative storage solution that will help keep their closet clean. If kids have some control over a situation it feels a whole lot better and they will be more likely to buy into the process.
