Organizing Children's Spaces
Organizing Children’s Spaces
Tired of treading on action figures, and watching your children hunt for lost homework, misplaced library books, and missing shoes? Would you like to have functional and easy-to-maintain spaces in which your children can play, study, and rest? With a little thought, some imagination, and a bit of juggling, you can optimize the space you have to create a safe, secure, fun and functional environment for your children.
“A Place for Everything” is a pretty good rule of thumb for daily activities as well as for physical things. Having designated areas for your children’s arts and crafts, studying, sleeping, and playing will help them keep track of their belongings, be able to focus on “what” rather than “where,” and clean up after activities. A designated area can be an entire room, a section of a room, or even just a piece of furniture such as a desk, a table, or a special chair. Each area should be safe, comfortable, and equipped with the necessary tools or accessories for the activity. Here are some examples:
Playing area: If you don’t have the luxury of a playroom, a designated play area can be created either in a child’s room or in a common area such as the living or family room. You can use a bright colored area rug to designate the area, and keep a bin handy for gathering up after playtime. A toy chest can come in handy for both storage and seating, but be sure it has safety features such as pinch-proof hinges to prevent accidents. If space is limited, consider buying a large plastic trash bin for toys, as it will hold a lot, doesn’t take up much floor space, and can be moved into a closet at clean up time.
Sleeping area: It is far easier for kids to get settled down and have a good night’s sleep if they are not surrounded by too much stuff. So if the bedroom is your child’s play area, toys should be picked up before bedtime. If children share a bedroom and they tend to disturb each other when getting settled in, consider placing twin beds head to head or at right angles facing opposite directions, or use a partition or screen to separate the beds, eliminating visual distractions.
Arts and crafts area: Most children are messy when they are being creative. That is part of the fun! So an important thing to consider when creating an arts and crafts area is protection of the surfaces and floor. If your children use the kitchen table, for example, be sure to protect it with a washable tablecloth, and place a shower curtain liner under it to catch drips, if needed. Keeping arts and crafts supplies in a bin that can be tucked away after use will help even young children develop the habit of cleaning up after themselves. You can create another fun space for artwork in your child’s room by painting a wall with blackboard paint. Keep a small bucket of colored chalk handy so your young Picasso will not even need paper!
Study area: This can be in any room of the house, as long as it is relatively quiet, with adequate lighting, and comfortable seating. The supplies or accessories needed for homework and studying are dependent on the age of the child. Younger ones may only need paper, crayons, scissors, and tape, while older students may need a computer, printer, paper, and reference books. The important thing here is to have everything within reach to minimize the need to get up and hunt things down. This focused energy helps youngsters develop concentration skills and good study habits.
Storage/staging areas: To help your children keep track of their in-and-out items such as school bags, library books, lunch money, etc., it is helpful to have a designated area near the main door. If you don’t have a mudroom or an entry hall, consider putting up a shelf within reach, with containers for loose items and hooks for bags and keys. If your children are involved in sports, their equipment should also have a designated space for storage. A bench with shelves below for sports shoes and above with bins for smaller items such as baseballs, gloves, caps, or paddles is ideal.
Summary: Designated activity areas help children learn to categorize, organize, and keep things in their proper places, skills that will help them throughout their lives. But don’t expect perfection! The key to success is in scheduling regular and frequent clean up times, with plenty of baskets or bins handy to containerize things so that it only takes a couple of minutes to gather things up and have them ready for next time.
Beverly Gwozdz, owner of An Extra Hand Organizing, specializes in home and office organizing, coaching, and public speaking, and is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. With over 20 years experience in the field of training, Bev enjoys helping her clients learn organizing tips and techniques that last a lifetime. Visit her website at http://www.anextrahandorganizing.com or e-mail Bev at AnExtraHandOrg@comcast.net.
