Week #34 Organized Home Challenge:
Kids' Bedroom Organizing
Your challenge this week is your kids' bedroom organizing project. This week's task is important not only so these rooms in your home are not an eye sore, but also so your kids can really use and enjoy their rooms to their fullest.
All of us want a space to call our own, and whether our children share a room, or have one all to themselves, somewhere in that room is most likely "their" space. This week our goal is to make that space both functional and fun to be in.
Just like with the kids closet organization challenge the steps below may be something you do all on your own if you have very young children. However, if you have older children these steps really should be taken together with your child, because your kids need to be involved with organizing their own rooms.
Are you new here? This kids' bedroom organizing challenge is part of the 52 Weeks To An Organized Home Challenge. (Click the link to learn how to join us for free for future and past challenges if you aren't already a regular reader).
In addition, if you've got more than one room to organize because you have several children you may not get them all done during one week. That is OK. Just do as much of this challenge as you can and plan to work on more areas, or other children's rooms later as you have time.
Step 1: Decide The Functions Of The Room
You can't organize a room until you know what you're supposed to be doing in it.
In the case of bedrooms there is typically one obvious function -- sleeping. That is generally the primary purpose for this room, so obviously you need to organize and create a space that fulfills this function.
However, bedrooms often serve many other purposes too, called secondary functions. Another obvious one that we addressed last week was storing clothing in your child's closet. Additional typical functions for a bedroom can include:
- Studying and doing homework
- Relaxing
- Playing and entertainment
There are no right or wrong functions for your child's bedroom, but make sure you know the priority for its functions and make sure all the top priorities are served before trying to accomodate lesser ones.
Also, be willing to move certain activities to other areas of the house instead of having everything occur in the bedroom. For example, perhaps you've been insisting that your child do her homework in her room, but she needs supervision to get it done properly. Then, at this time studying shouldn't be a function of the bedroom but instead this activity needs to be done somewhere more convenient for you to supervise. Therefore, consider moving out the desk, or converting it to an art and puzzle area instead of a study space.
Also, be aware that the functions of the room can change with time, as your children get older. That is why organizing is not a static process, but instead one you must engage in over and over, always making adjustments for changes in situation.
Step 2: Declutter Your Child's Bedroom
With the functions you've determined freshly in your mind set about decluttering your child's room. Some items should be donated or sold, others are trash, and other stuff should not be in the bedroom, but instead moved to somewhere else in the house.
I would suggest doing this step of the kids' bedroom organizing challenge at the same time that you do step 3 below, because once you set up the zones for your child's room you'll be able to see what does not belong and needs to be removed from the room more easily.
Some of the Declutter 365 missions for this week include:
- Under the bed
- Bedroom shelves and cubbies (as well as dresser drawers if you didn't deal with these clothing items during last week's challenge); and
- Flat surfaces and the floor
You can get step by step instructions for how to declutter a child's bedroom here, so that you aren't overwhelmed and don't make a bigger mess in the process.
In addition, you can also check out my full list of bedroom and closet clutter to consider getting rid of here.
Finally, here are tips for getting rid of baby clutter, including decluttering a nursery, if that's the kids' room you're working on.
Step 3: Create Zones Within Your Child's Bedroom For Each Function
Once you've decided what activities should be done in your child's bedroom (and which shouldn't) make sure you create space within the room to accomodate the activity.
The best analogy I've ever heard for these zones is to compare it to a kindergarten classroom, where the room has all kinds of activity centers. The reading zone has a bookshelf and a comfy place to sit, the arts and crafts zone has a nice flat surface to work on and craft supplies at the children's fingertips, etc. Your goal in the Kids' Bedroom Organizing Challenge is to create similar zones in your child's room so they can easily and happily use it for all its primary and secondary functions.
Most Important Zone: For Sleeping And Resting
Children need adequate rest, so the most important part of this Bedroom Organizing Challenge is to make sure they have a nice calm, uncluttered area around their bed so they can sleep peacefully each night.
This also includes a wide path to walk through to and from their bed to the door, so it is easy for them to get in and out of bed as needed, even in the dark.
Other Often Utilized Zones In Children's Rooms
You can use storage bins and tubs to
separate items for use in different zones
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Here are some ideas for other common zones to consider creating when doing the kids' bedroom organizing challenge:
- Clothing zone (dealt with in previous challenge)
- Toys and games zone (dealt with in more detail in Game & Toys Organization Challenge)
- Arts and crafts zone - don't forget a place to display artwork and other creations too!
- Music or other entertainment zone
- Homework and studying zone
Don't Forget To Remove Things Which Don't Fit Within One Of The Bedroom Zones
It is important to remove things from your kids' bedrooms that send a conflicting signal about its function. For example, if arts and crafts are off limits within the bedroom for your child then don't store arts and craft supplies in there. It encourages rule breaking, and also makes it less convenient to actually do the arts and crafts in the area you want them done in.
Plus, a large part of feeling organized is having empty space to stretch out in, and do activities without feeling cramped. Just because you can pack a room to the gills doesn't mean you should. If an item doesn't fulfill one of the functions of the room it should be outta there!
Step 4: Use Kid Friendly Bedroom Storage Solutions
The other part of making zones for the activities in your child's room is that everything in the room needs a place to be put away or kept while it's not in use. Again, think back to the kindergarten room analogy. Not only does each activity center have space to actually do the activity in, but there are also storage containers, shelves, drawers, etc. to hold the supplies when they are not in use.
Everything should be easy to get out, and to put back up. This is especially important for kids, who can't be expected to lift heavy objects up high to put them away, or wedge objects into tight spaces to make everything fit.
Here are some criteria and tips to keep in mind when choosing bedroom storage solutions for your child's room:
- Keep things at your child's height so they can reach things easily, and put things away themselves without needing your assistance every time
- Under the bed storage can be very handy in a child's room, and is often underutilized. Try to use plastic containers with rollers, since these are more easily accessible
- Bookcases, shelves and cubbies are all easy to use storage solutions for children. You can subdivide these spaces by placing baskets, bins and other containers on the shelves, for example
- Don't cram too much stuff in one storage container, since it makes it difficult for a child to get things in or take things out of it
Step 5: Create A Bedroom Cleaning Checklist For Your Kids
Once you've got your childrens' rooms organized and decluttered, that definitely isn't the end of the story. As you know, kids can make a mess out of a room quickly, and so you've got to also have a plan to keep it clean. Just like including your kids, if they're old enough, in the process of decluttering and organizing though, they should also be involved in keeping their room clean.
I've found that it's best to lay out expectations of what you want done with you ask them to clean their room, so they aren't surprised by what you want or need them to do. To do that, use a bedroom cleaning checklist, which is why it's Step 5 of this Challenge. You can check out a suggested checklist in the article on the sister site of this one, Stain Removal 101, provided at the link (which also has a free printable version), or you can develop your own for your kids to use and refer to.
Listen To Taylor's Video Tips For This Week's Organized Home Challenge & Declutter 365 Missions
Do you want more in-depth tips and instructions for how to do this week's missions and challenge all about decluttering and organizing kids' bedrooms? If so, I've got recorded video tips from me, Taylor, from the video archives in the Declutter 365 Premium group, all about this week's challenge and missions.
These video tips are available on demand in the archives, once you're a member of the group.
In Week #34's video I discussed the following topics, among others:
- Formula for decluttering any room
- Tips for decluttering kids' bedrooms
- Tips for organizing kids' bedrooms
- Declutter 365 missions for week
I suggest watching the video archive for the week, perhaps while you're doing some decluttering or cleaning around your home, before starting the week's missions and Challenge, and then you'll be able to breeze through this week's worth of decluttering missions, as well as organize what's necessary for the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, based on the advice and instructions within those videos.
It really is like having me, Taylor, available, 24-7, as your decluttering and organizing coach, for every area of your home!
Plus, once you're a member of Declutter 365 Premium you get access to not only this video, but all the videos for the 52 weeks of the year, for 5 years (that's over 260 videos available in the archives!)
Get This Kids Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home
Right now you're decluttering kids' clutter, but as anyone who has kids around knows there's a lot of types and varieties of this type of clutter around your home.
I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.
In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!
Tell Me How The Kids' Bedroom Organizing Challenge Is Going For You
I would love to know how this week's Challenge is going for you. You can tell me your progress or give me more ideas for how you've organized this area of your home below in the comments.
In addition, I also love before and after pictures, and would love to see some of yours. Submit your pictures (up to four per submission) and get featured in the Creative Storage Solutions Hall Of Fame. You've worked hard to get organized, so now here's your chance to show off!
Here are the kids' bedroom hall of fame pictures submitted so far to give you some additional inspiration.
Sneak Peek For Next Week's Challenge
We're working on our homes slowly, one area at a time, so don't get too distracted from your task this week of kids' bedroom organizing.
However, I want you to know that next week we're continuing our focus on clothing, and acknowledging the upcoming changing of the seasons, by working on decluttering, organizing and storing our outgrown and seasonal clothing.
Make Sure You Make The Most Of These 52 Organizing Challenges
Get your copy of the printable one page 52 Week Organized Home Challenge schedule for the year here, so you can see all the challenges we're working on.
Further, if you'd like to join a community of others who are all commmitted to these organizing challenges and corresponding decluttering missions, and want more interaction with me, Taylor, video archives of Taylor providing more tips for each of these challenges and missions, as well as live monthly group coaching sessions focusing on the skills and habits necessary to maintain your home from now on, I'd urge you to join the private and exclusive Declutter 365 Premium Facebook group (you can learn more about it at the link).
In addition, have you gotten your Declutter 365 Products yet, to make sure you can get even more assistance with decluttering and organizing your home this year? There are both free products (like the Declutter 365 calendar, a $20 value), as well as add-ons, such as daily text messages, planner stickers, and a Premium Facebook group, as well as a pack of printabe decluttering checklists.
Let's Stay Connected!
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Share Your Comments, Tips & Ideas
I would love to hear from you, sharing your thoughts, questions, or ideas about this topic, so leave me a comment below. I try to always respond back!