parenting
Make Spring Cleaning A Family Affair
"I can't find my sneakers!" Every third day is gym day, which means that every third day you will find us scrambling around the house trying to find that rogue sneaker.
A child's disorganized bedroom can be a huge roadblock when it comes to getting out the door in the morning. The clock becomes a ticking time bomb as the arrival of the bus is imminent.
Homework time is greeted with, “Where's my pencil?” On those days when the bedroom looks like a tornado has hit, don't even talk to me about packing schoolbags for the next morning.
Make Spring Cleaning a Family Affair
With spring is on its way, there is no better time to encourage your child to become involved with organizing and cleaning the house.
Get The Kids Excited
Working together to get your child's living spaces organized is the first step toward less stressful mornings and even more peaceful evenings. There are many options when it comes to decorating and arranging your child's belongings so that it will simplify your lives. It is not necessary to tear down the walls and do a major overhaul. Offer to help rearrange items and as get your child's input about different storage ideas. When your child feels like they are an important part of the decision making process, they will be excited and motivated to work to keep their space clean and organized.
De-clutter
If you have a child that cannot bear to part with anything, eliminating clutter is not a simple task. Help your child to empty out their closets, drawers, and toy boxes. Once they can see all of the stuff they have accumulated, let your child help you make decisions about what should stay and what should go. You may not always see eye to eye, so be prepared to make some compromises. Have your child make three piles: keep, throw, and donate. Once only the necessities remain, discuss which items should remain in the bedroom and playroom, and which can be placed in a container for storage in the attic or basement. If you have gaming consoles or other sellable items, consider a Pawn Shop for extra cash.
Encourage your child to keep their desk or work space as uncluttered as possible. A file cabinet can be used to store finished papers that come home from school and pending assignments. Another small container can be used to pens, pencils, crayons, and other supplies necessary to complete homework and projects.
Storage
There are many storage options when it comes to organizing toys and school supplies. Shelving units, baskets, and colorful containers that coordinate with your child's decor are fun ways to get organized. Let your child label and personalize the outside of the containers. Colorful hooks and hangers,placed at your child's level can store coats, jackets,and bags.
Tackling The Closets
Put on a fashion show as you change out the seasonal clothes. Gather all the items that don’t fit anymore and place in storage or donate. Any clothes with tears or stains can be recycled into cleaning rags, or tossed. When the show is over, pack away any warm clothes that may still fit next year or can be handed down to a younger sibling in clearly labeled storage containers.
If your child isn't a fan of hanging up clothing, consider installing wire shelving. Bins or baskets placed on the shelves can be labeled with words or pictures to describe what belongs inside. A shoe bag on back of the closet door, can be filled with socks and underwear, small toys, or jewelry and hair ties.
Today The Bedrooms, Tomorrow The World
Kid clutter winds up everywhere. Have your child pick a room, and have them collect all the things that do not belong. Using baskets, sort the items into piles that can be delivered to the playroom, bedrooms, basement, garage, laundry, or the garbage.
Encouraging your child to play an important role in cleaning and organizing will help them feel like an important team member. These tasks teach them valuable life skills and will hopefully relieve some of the items on your to-do list.
How do you get your family involved in spring cleaning?
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Jennifer Swartvagher is an author, freelance writer, social media specialist, and blogger. She is best known for her blog, Beyond The Crib, and its corresponding Facebook and Twitter pages. Jennifer lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley with her husband and eight kids
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