Kids Spaces and #MOMGOALS
Kids bring such joy to our family, but with that joy comes a large amount of stuff and that stuff shifts and changes as they age. During the baby stage our baby gear was huge, and the big plastic colorful toys seemed to take over our house! But as kids grow and change so do their storage needs and we need to work with what we have and adapt as ages (and interests) shift.
Kid’s spaces are a passion of mine – I feel strongly that they need to reflect each child’s personality while being functional, fun, and able to set them up for success.
Here are some of my tips and tricks for creating and maintaining spaces with your kids.
- Avoid clutter, but don’t be afraid to incorporate things they love (sports memorabilia, kids’ books, favorite trophies) so that they feel connected to the space.
- Mark boundaries – When spaces are designated for different uses and toys overflow it’s easy to see when things are out of place or overflowing and it’s time to give.
- Maintain a gifting mindset – Kids often quickly move on from toys and books to the next thing, if they aren’t using something it is important to regularly move items out. Engage kids in the gifting process, model this behavior with your things, and talk to them about the joy of giving to others. I suggest finding a local charity that accepts donations and involve your kids in the giving process.
- Make a home – Often kids items come in and don’t always have a designated spot or home. When you set up spaces it’s important to know where items go when it’s time to clean up. Labeled bins are a must with kids!
- Special Spaces – One of the best things we did when we build our house is to finish off the area under our stairs in our basement. This normally totally unused space this is now my daughter’s doll room; all barbies, LOLs and American girls and their tiny little things live here. It keeps it away from the dog, out of my sight =)
- Cultivate a growth mindset – kids age and as they do their spaces should be designed for the flexibility to grow with them. Consider current needs and future needs when decorating. Expensive elements such as furniture and light fixtures should grow with your child while less expensive elements such as bedding, artwork and storage bins can be more thematic and easily changed as interests do.
- Share cleanup expectations. Kids are used to the “end of the day” activities at school where they put away their items and get ready for tomorrow. When it comes to household cleanup every family has different rituals but decide what would work for you and stick with it. For me I have two main expectations the main living spaces must be tidied each day (just because you made an awesome Lego, it does not mean it can live on the Kitchen counter) and by Sunday evening their play spaces and bedrooms are all put away and everything where it belongs. I know I know some would say put everything away every day, but for us this works – the key is to find expectations that work for you and your family!
Part of a creating a successful space is its ability to keep kids excited and engaged; the more they like their space and are proud of it the more likely they are to keep it tidy! I love the preschool clean up song and am a huge fan of the game – how much you put away in the next 90 seconds, but children are capable of much more when it comes to their spaces. Invite them to be part of the purging process and to take ownership of maintaining their space. This pride will ideally help to develop lifelong good habits (#momgoals) for creating and maintaining functional spaces.
Enjoy your little ones and happy organizing!
