JUST FOR KIDS

Keeping it all together…


Organizing kids stuff can be a bit overwhelming. Because I am neurotic and have to have order in my house at all times, I have some great tips to share.

TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES--

Children’s calendars are great for RESPONSIBILITY CHARTS. Whatever your child needs to work on-- let’s say brushing teeth, no interrupting, no whining, pick up toys, etc. You can write the list of Responsibilities out and let the child put a small sticker in the square for each one they do that day. I also keep a big jar of small rewards like-- big stickers, pez candy, playdoh, money, chocolate coins, etc. My kids know if they get 3 stickers they get to pick out of the TREASURE BOWL. Works great….AND they are really using the calendar.

I also change it up a little and let them use a marker to make a mark in the box. You could start at the beginning of the alphabet and each day they could practice that particular letter.

TOY CONTROL--

When my children were really small, nothing was more overwhelming than the mess that was left to clean up. The mess was even more overwhelming when we would have company over. I quickly figured out that not ALL of my kids toys need to be out at all times. Anything that had a lot of pieces was put in its own zippered pouch. I mean how many times do you need to put together the 10 wooden puzzles a day?! It truly is torture!

The pouches you get with curtains, linens, sheets, shower curtains, pillow cases are great for this purpose….See UPCYCLING!

I keep large bins up high in each childs closet and when I want them to have a little quiet time in their rooms, I bring 1 bin down and they play for hours. I feel like when all the toys are out they get bored with them. The same is true of a toy chest—great for hiding the toys, but my kids never play with anything in a toy chest.

Every month I grab a trash bag and walk through each room filling it with toys. Then, I take it down to the basement to store for another day. I usually pick the toys they haven’t touched in while, so no one freaks out. I grab another bag that’s been stored in the basement, bring it up and dump it on the floor. The kids play for hours! It's as if they have NEVER seen the toys before... AND I call my girlfriends! When it’s time to clean up-- those new toys take the place of the old ones. Genius!

I save that one for when I really need to get something done.

CLUTTER CONTROL--

At the end of the day it's time to shut it down.  I am always looking for a quick way to get it all back together.  Who likes to wake up to a messy house?

I have a super cute banana leaf basket designated to beat the clutter.  I walk from room  to room picking up the things that don't belong and putting them in the basket.  As I pick the misplaced items up, I distribute the items back to their "home" from the basket as I go room to room.  Priceless! 


BEACH/ LAKE TOYS—

I keep a netted back pack filled with all the beach toys my kids use at the beach. The netting lets the sand out as we walk to the car. It’s also a backpack, so the kids can carry it as well. Because we all know the crap you have to carry to the beach with kids for 1 day! I’m all about them earning their keep ;)

I keep this bag accessible in the winter as well because sand toys work in the snow too!

CRAFT TIME—

You can purchase a tree branch from the craft store or pick up a branch from your yard.  I put it in a little hot pink pail with some florist foam to keep it straight. My daughter makes “ornaments” for it for Valentines, Easter, St. Patty’s Day, Halloween & Christmas. Can you just picture the possibilities? Little spiders, homemade hearts with glitter, Easter eggs and snowflakes, OH MY! You can easily change the pail to coordinate with the Holiday. This is super cute and keeps 'my little crafter' busy.

Click here to see my daughter's room

In a cabinet, close to the kitchen table, I keep a large wide mouthed jar with a lid filled with items for my daughter to work with. Sequins, squared tissue paper, cotton balls, hole punched dots, felt, foam shapes—anything that you can repurpose. I give her a bottle cap filled with glue and a paint brush and she is on her own!


Another great idea for the “ornament tree” is to use it for a MONEY TREE!  Just tie the donations on to the tree from a group of people and give it your friend. Such a great idea-- It's anonymous and fun!

Whether it’s for a co-worker, a family member or a friend that has a celebration or sympathy.  There are not enough money trees in the world!

Do you have any good ideas for kids? Please share!

Happy Hunting !

If you enjoy reading HOUSE by Holly, please click the "like" button at the top of the page for Facebook. Or visit http://www.facebook.com/HouseByHolly and hit "like".  I will be sharing extra tips and tricks on that Facebook page I created.  And as always, I love to hear from MY READERS!  Please leave me comments, post projects you have tried and feel free to ask me questions.