The truth is, once you have kids, it will be necessary to manage the kid clutter. My kids are teenagers now, but my journey to simplifying our home began many years ago when I was a young mom with three little kids.

The kid stuff had quickly gotten out of control and taken over our home. Trying to keep up with it all while also taking care of the kids felt stressful and overwhelming.

I read two books that helped change my mindset and ultimately my habits when it came to our home and belongings.

The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life. -Marie Kondo The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

It is better to own less than to organize more. -Joshua Becker Clutterfree with Kids

Since life with young kids can often feel chaotic, I wanted a home that felt calm and was easier to manage. These books inspired me to evaluate our belongings and make intentional choices about what we kept in our home. By owning less, I realized that I could eliminate some of the stress on my everyday life.

I began decluttering and simplifying our home so that I could focus on the things that really mattered to me. And over the years, I’ve learned some practical ways to help manage the kid clutter.

There is no doubt about it: between sports, hobbies, birthday parties, and art projects, life with kids means managing a whole lot of stuff.” – Shira Gill, Minimalista

TIPS TO MANAGE THE KID CLUTTER

1. DECLUTTER REGULARLY WITH THEM

Make it a regular habit to go through their things with them. Staying on top of their toys, clothes, books, and games keeps the job of decluttering from getting out of control and becoming too big of a task for everyone involved. Just like cleaning your home or doing the laundry gets harder and more overwhelming the longer you put it off, it’s the same with decluttering kid stuff. The longer you put it off, the harder it is, but if you make it a regular habit, it’s much more manageable.

I also found it helpful to declutter before a holiday or birthday when they would be getting more stuff. My kids were usually pretty willing to help clear out their unwanted items and intentionally create space for the new things that they knew were coming.

When you declutter regularly, your kids will also learn to expect it and understand the process. And you may be surprised to find that they’re willing to let go of a toy or picture that they held on to just a few months earlier.

2. HELP THEM DECIDE

Learning to purge is a skill, so help them with the process, but try not to put pressure on them to get rid of things they still want to keep. Even very young kids have an opinion about their belongings. They may have a favorite stuffed animal, book, or toy and it’s important to listen to them and respect their wishes. Don’t purge their things behind their back, as this will probably backfire in the future. Help them build decision making skills and teach them the freedom of letting things go. The more they do it, the easier it gets.

3. BREAK THE JOB DOWN

Don’t try to go through their entire room or everything they own all at one time. This would most likely stress everyone out and make the task miserable. Tackle a little at a time… a desk drawer, t-shirts, shoes, toy cars, art supplies, books etc. Just break it up and start with the easiest things and work towards harder things. If you get stuck on an object, set it aside and move to the next thing.

Sometimes, it can be as simple as just taking a small stack of books to your child and asking them to look through them and decide if there are any they don’t want anymore. They will probably be able to quickly pick out a few to put in the donation bin. By keeping the process short and simple, there is less chance your kids will resist when you ask them for their help.

4. OFFER CHOICES

When your child has a large collection that they don’t necessarily need or play with, help them narrow down to their favorites. For example, if your child has fifty matchbox cars, pull out five cars at a time (or a small manageable number) and ask him to pick his top favorites from that group to keep. Sometimes he might love all five, but often, he may just pick three or four to keep and is fine to donate the others. Keep doing this until you get through all the cars. Many times, this helped us downsize a collection that had gotten too large. You can do this with anything … barbies, dinosaurs, dolls, large trucks, stuffed animals etc. I have found this to work really well with my kids when they were young.

5. GIVE THEM A JUNK BOX

Kids love collecting “treasures” and often these items end up scattered all over the house. Instead of resisting their natural tendency to collect things, give them a junk box (or a “treasure” box, if you prefer). This box is a small plastic bin that holds all their random things like rocks, bouncy balls, string, key chains, wind up toys, fidget spinners, etc.

When the box starts getting too full, it’s a reminder that it’s time to go through the items and discard what they don’t want anymore. Usually the old junk isn’t as exciting as the new treasures they’ve found and they’re willing to let some things go. This allows them to keep their trinkets, but only whatever fits in the box. The box sets limits, provides a specific place for it all, and teaches them to make choices on what is most important to them.

If you have a child that loves to keep all their drawings, paintings, and art projects, this same idea could apply. Give them a special box (or desk drawer) to store their art collection and then go through it when the box starts becoming too full. Usually the “special-ness” wears off over time and they’re willing to let old art projects go as they get new favorites.

6. OFFER MOTIVATION

For young kids, something as simple as giving them an M&M or Gummy Bear for each item out of their junk box or art collection that they’re willing to purge can be a big motivation. The point isn’t to twist their arm or trick them into getting rid of things they really like, it’s just to reward them for going through the decluttering process when they may rather be doing something else… and sometimes they realize that trading a broken rock for a gummy bear is a great trade!

When kids get older, offer to sell their more valuable things (like sports equipment, Legos, or Nerf guns, Diary of the Wimpy Kid book set) and give them the money. Just like us, sometimes kids need a little extra motivation or reward for doing something hard.

7. HAVE A ONE IN – ONE OUT RULE

Remind your kids that they only have so much space to keep their things and once that space (a closet, a drawer, a basket) is full, something has to go if they want something else. For instance, if your child has a basket full of stuffed animals and they want one more, remind them that one stuffed animal will have to go, in order to make room for the new one. The same is true for desk drawers full of art supplies, a bin full of balls, a garage full of sporting/recreational equipment, or a book shelf full of books.

Space is limited, so there are always choices involved when buying new things. It’s great preparation for when they will have a home of their own one day and need to make these types of decisions. When they understand that they’re letting go of unwanted things in order to create space for the new things they want, it’s easier to let go.

8. ASSIGN A LOGICAL HOME

Having a proper “home” for belongings is key to managing the kid clutter. If there isn’t a storage place for something or if the storage place isn’t convenient, their stuff will always be on the floor or in the way. Take some time to think through what items (like back packs, library books, lunch boxes, shoes) need a home and where a logical storage place for those items would be.

Clutter has only two possible causes: too much effort is required to put things away or it is unclear where things belong. –Marie Kondo

For example, if you always read library books on the living room couch, storing them in a nearby basket is more practical and useful than putting them on a bookshelf in their bedroom closet. It will be easier and more convenient to put them away in the basket by the couch, therefore it is much more likely that they will get put away. Also, if you don’t have a specific “home” for library books, then they will get left out, misplaced, mixed in with other books, or lost because no one knows where they should go.

I also like to try to reduce visual clutter by putting things in a drawer, closet, or basket whenever possible, rather than storing things out in the open.

9. PRACTICE SELF-CONTROL

Sometimes, it’s not our kids with the clutter problem, it’s us. Make sure that you aren’t bringing in excess kid clutter by impulsively buying your kids things they don’t need. As parents, we are ultimately the ones making decisions about what comes into our home.

In an effort to show your kids love, override your own guilt, or just keep them happy while shopping in a store, do you break down and buy unnecessary things for them? Or maybe you go overboard on birthdays, Christmas, and Easter and then regret it later when you can’t walk into their bedroom because of all the stuff. Or maybe it’s the half-price clothing sales that always entices you to buy clothes they don’t need. Maybe it’s trying to keep up with the Joneses.

Whatever it is, take some time to recognize your triggers and then practice changing your buying habits. When choosing gifts for your kids, make a well thought out plan for your purchases rather than buying impulsively. It will be nearly impossible to get control and manage the kid clutter if new things are constantly coming into your home.

10. COMMUNICATE YOUR WISHES

Other times, it’s friends, family, or loved ones that may be gifting your kids with things that you don’t necessarily want accumulating in your home. This can definitely be a tricky situation and needs to be handled with care and consideration for the other person. It will most likely take some thoughtful communication of what you would like when it comes to gifts for your child.

Sometimes, just asking the grandparents for an experience gift, such as a trip to the zoo, movies, water park, or skating rink is enough. Another option is asking them for one big ticket item like a bike, Kindle, scooter, or musical instrument, rather than a lot of smaller gifts. As my kids got older, the grandparents naturally started sending money to them, which they love. With aunts and uncles, a funny card and a Facetime call to wish the kids a happy birthday worked well.

When it comes to birthday parties, try having smaller parties with just a few close friends. If you feel comfortable, mention that no gifts are necessary or maybe just ask for books. If neither of those is an option, you and your child can always go through the gifts afterwards and decide which ones are favorites that they want to keep and which ones to pass on to less fortunate kids. I have also found that sometimes my kids might play with the gift for a few days and then they lose interest and we can donate it. Don’t feel pressured to hold on to things that no one wants or plays with just because it was a gift.

Hopefully some of these ideas will help you manage the kid clutter so their stuff doesn’t get out of control and become overwhelming in your home. Do you have any more great tips for managing the kid clutter?