Organizing with Storage Crates

If you're the parent of small children, you know the frustration of keeping their bedrooms clean.  It's easy to tell your children to go tidy up, but not so easy for them to do it.  That's because children are naturally disorganized.  Cleaning their rooms can be an overwhelming task because without organization, they don't know where to begin. But you can help your children maintain a clean and tidy bedroom if you help them to organize. 

To start with, create specific places for your children to store their belongings. For books, crates are ideal.  If you're not concerned that a bookshelf matches the décor of the bedroom, plain shelves made of metal or plastic can be purchased at little cost.  If you want them to match, you can buy them as part of a complete bedroom set.  As for toys and other play items, plastic storage crates are one good solution. You can get them in small sizes to accommodate games, puzzles, and knick-knacks, and larger sizes ideal for stuffed animals and dolls.  They are easily stackable and take up little space in a closet or corner. 

With storage crates in hand, begin organizing based on how often the child uses his belongings.  Things that get used infrequently can be stored in out of the way places, while things used every day need to be readily accessible.  Bookshelves won't need anything other than books, but your plastic storage crates should be labelled so that the contents are easily identifiable. Use either a permanent marker right on the crate itself, or create a label with a piece of paper and apply it with tape.  Once your child's belongings have a proper place, it will be easier for him to cope and much more likely to keep things tidy.