With Christmas fast approaching, many parents are already dreading the moment neatly wrapped presents under the Christmas tree become incoming piles of toys. Organizing the kids’ rooms is hard enough the rest of the time. Organizing them when piles of new presents — both the ones that you’ve picked out and the ones that are given to your children by loved ones who are eager to share the season with your kids —can be even more challenging. If you’re ready to tackle the holiday organization challenge head-on, there are several organizing tips to make it easier.
Organizing Tip #1: Start Early
If you have a busy holiday season filled with visits to relatives’ houses, parties, and other opportunities for your kids to bring home new goodies, don’t wait until you’ve taken down the tree to start organizing! Take a few minutes to help your kids organize their new toys each time you come home with a new item. By simply staying on top of organization, you’ll rachet down the stress level and make the project much more manageable.
Organizing Tip #2: Have Boxes and Baskets Standing By
Many of the gifts your child will receive this holiday season complete with an array of small pieces — and without proper organization, inevitably, some of those small pieces will be lost before your child heads back to school after the holidays. Before Christmas, invest in several small boxes and baskets to help keep those items organized. That way, they can have a place to belong straight out of the box! See-through containers are often best for younger children, since it will allow them to see exactly what is in a box without needing to pull it off the shelf.
Organizing Tip #3: Store a Few Toys for Later
This is easier when your children are young, but older children can often be convinced to use this strategy, too. Instead of spreading all of their new toys out across the floor as soon as the gifts are opened, encourage them to put a few items back for later in the year. Tuck them away in the top of a closet, under the bed, or on a high shelf. Later in the year, when those Christmas presents are starting to get a little boring, your child can pull those items out and feel like it’s Christmas all over again!
Organizing Tip #4: Clean Out Before Christmas
Are there broken toys, toys that are missing most of their pieces, or toys that your child no longer plays with taking up space in their floor? Take the time a week or two before Christmas to clean out these items. Toss out broken toys, consign or donate toys that are in great shape, but that aren’t getting played with, and pack away toys that you’re saving for younger siblings. You’ll be amazed by how much space you can create in the kids’ rooms!
Organizing Tip #5: Use Labels
Many kids struggle with understanding how to organize their toys — especially when they’re left to do it themselves. Simple labels — pictures for kids who are too young to read; lettered labels for young readers — can go a long way toward teaching kids how to organize their own toys. Taking a few minutes to do this now, as toys come in throughout the holidays, will save you a lot of headaches when you’re asking the kids to get cleaned up later.
Organizing the kids’ toys after Christmas can be a huge challenge. By following these few organizing tips, you’ll quickly return your home to its usual state. Getting organized may never be your kids rooms natural state, but you’ll at least be able to make order out of the chaos, find the floor, and ensure that your child can find the toys they’re looking for when they’re ready to play!
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