Newsletter Archives
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Grab-n-Go Picnic Basket
Get a Sparkling Bathroom in Just a Few Minutes!
Cooking the Clutter-Free Way
How to Deal Once and for all with the Mounds of Clothes in a Kids Room
'Tis the Season to be Generous—And Clutter Free
Streamlining and the Family
Streamlining: You Want Your Office to Work FOR You, Not AGAINST You!
Children: Clean your room!
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Children: Clean your room!
From It's Here…Somewhere
Alice Fulton-Osborne
Pauline Hatch
Have you ever told you kids to go to their room and clean it up, only to go in later and find things under the bed and stuffed in the closet. I don't know about you but when that happens my fangs come out and steam and fire come out of my nose and ears. Getting control of the kids room can be a challenge, since they want to save everything. But you can do it. Keep in mind that your primary goal in streamlining the kids rooms is to create a world that they can maintain mostly by themselves. Overload makes them avoid decision making when it comes time to "clean their room".Their room should look (and smell) clean, be attractive and comfortable, and radiate positive messages. First of all, assess the overall condition of the room, and if it needs it, make plans for improvement. It doesn't take any longer to maintain nice things than it does to maintain shabby, worn-out, tacky things. It should be a lovely retreat that inspires creativity and peace. So as you go about creating such a world for your children, be sure to use your paper and pencil to record the "wants" and "needs" for each room.
We found that preschoolers and elementary school children need a lot of help. In fact, it can be done while they are at school and then you can present them with a streamlined, in control room. You know what things are important to them and so they will be put in a memory box as treasures. However, so much of the stuff in kids rooms is either broken or has missing parts. You can toss them out and I guarantee they will not be missed. The child will be so happy that he can now maintain his own room.
Working in a clockwise pattern around the room is best. As you do this you will be filling containers for garbage, charity, someplace else (these are things that you find in that room but they do not belong there) and papers that need to go into a file system. You will be creating empty space as you move throughout the room. Then the items that are keepers will easily and systematically fall into place.
There are so many things to deal with in the kids room. Next month we will go into specific detail about their clothing. Or if you cannot wait for our next newsletter, you can purchase the book It’s Here…Somewhere, and get started right now.
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