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14 Ways of Keeping Kids Clutter Under Control

Today the Childhood 101 Mums share 14 tips for keeping the plethora of kids stuff which clutters our home just a little more organised.

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What are your favourite ways to keep the kids clutter under control?

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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  2. Kate says

    Toy rotation! that is my secret. J has sooooo many toys and different things. The place would go under without toy rotation. Oh and baskets...I LOVE baskets...so pretty and tidy...hmmm maybe a little OCD :) I blogged about our toy rotation here. I'd love it if you dropped by and told me what you thought :) http://www.anamazingchild.com/kates%20blog/files/26d2997f5eae8e3821e2d01d8cd47997-13.php

  4. Gill@OurParklife says

    Fantastic post! My philosophy is to have a place for everything....The expedit book shelves along with the IKEA cane baskets ARE a godsend - I like the idea that each little basket in each little pigeon hole shelf holds a different type of toy "category" as it makes it easy for even young kids to tidy up and it makes a little sorting activity in itself! This comment makes me sound mildly obsessive but let's just say the playroom is by far our most organised room!

  5. Michelle Dennis Evans says

    My tips... send the kids to kindy or school... Toy rotation worked for a while - that was great. All sorts of containers to sort things into worked for a while. But when we started homeschooling... and the kids got older... trying to keep them responsible for their own things... I haven't found a way to keep all toys and clutter under control. If the kids weren't here everyday... I'd have time to sort things in a managable way and they wouldn't be pulling everything out from under me. :)

  6. Jessica says

    So many great ideas! Anyone have any suggestions for storing books and keeping them in some kind of an order as well? We're book lovers and have TONS of books! Paperback and hardback in all different genres. While a 3 and 5 year old don't need formal genre listings, there's got to be a kid-friendly way out there! Oh, and we live in an apartment that is maxed out in space! We only have small skinny shelves to house the books! Help!

    • Moni says

      Hi I am also a booklover - I can't use a library because to me books are friends and I love to re-read my favourites ie the Top 200. Anyway we had literally thousands of books. Then I discovered e-readers. I personally have a Kobo and I love it, love it, love it. My library now goes everywhere with me because it can store up to 10,000 books, its really light and it the battery lasts about a month. Back to my paper book problem. I had boxes stored in our ceiling, boxes stored in our storage facility etc etc. I googled decluttering books to psyche me up, and then without opening the boxes I donated them to a local community group who do two huge 2nd hand book sales a year that pours thousands of dollars into good causes. It made me feel good. As to the remaining 3 book cases.....that's still work in progress but I'm slowly weeding it down. I realised child age books that my kids had outgrown, I was attached to because it represented a time in our lives, (my kids are teens now) and there are a lot of series-sets that I painstakingly collected but these books need to go to new families to enjoy and benefit from, so I am slowly listing them on an online auction and have agreed to put the proceedings towards an iPad which is more suited to my kids age. As for my favourite 200 books. Work in progress. When gift receiving situations arise now, as I am decluttering the whole house, and don't want more things, I have put out there a request that I'd prefer Kobo e-book gift vouchers than items - I worded it politely and explained I was hoping to replace my favourite paper books with the digital version. Friends and family have been very happy to oblige and in fact, quite relieved to have a simple option as they know how much I love books, and they all know that I love my KOBO. In the meantime I am continuing to slowly eliminate as many books as poss - I keep a box which is going to that community 2nd hand book fair and I keep finding amongst other books, books that I'm not attached to, so easy to let go of.

  7. Brooke says

    Love this article !!!! I find calico bags are great for storing items that must stay together...attach a tag or a little photos of what is inside...or use cotton net bags so you can see what is inside. You can either make these...or source them on the internet...or pop into a local op shop they quite often have little handmade bags...such gems. I like rotating too and having a 'giving' pile to donate or swap when items have run their course in our house. I love the organisation and respectful displays as in your article as this too will help children have respect for items and resources...and having a space for things allows for easy pack away! Once again great article!!!!!!!;)

  8. Marita says

    So many great ideas. I just wish I could get my girls to pack up after themselves. They are usually pretty good, but as they get tired things fall apart. Toy rotation works to a point .. that point is when the kids are able to access the other toys that are in storage. I'm seriously considering packing all their toys up to donate to charity.

  9. sarah says

    Love the slideshow Christie. Keeping the clutter under control is an ongoing challenge for me, and I think that's the key... there's a never-ending cycle of arranging, recycling, rotating, freshening up. Now, if only I had the time and energy to do the same for my wardrobe/household filing/pantry/craft space...

  10. Yelena says

    We have an attic that can be accessed from my son's room. This is very handy for toys rotation. We only have 2 smallish shelves in my son's room and the rule is when the cubbies of those shelves are full (one toy/game/activity per cubby), no more toys can be stored on the shelves (or anywhere else in the room). Plus we have this amazing Kids Exchange sale twice a year and it really helps in keeping things manageable (although I do end up buying lots and lots of books there, lol).

  11. Mel says

    Love these ideas and gorgeous pictures! We do toy rotations and try to use things already in the house for storage (i.e. an very old wooden meat safe is perfect for wooden tray puzzles just now). I second the idea of buying bags from the local op shop, great for storing groups of toys, it makes it easier to grab a bag to take toys when going out, and they double as dress up accessories :) Can anyone suggest where to buy one of the book displays in the photos "Defining play spaces #2"? I'd love one for my little girls room but have only seen the Tidy Books brand version which is gorgeous but way out of my price range.

  12. Brooke says

    I think the most important thing when it comes to storage is to have a place for everything, that way it has somewhere to go back to!! We don't have a separate playroom, but we do have a corner of the living room set aside. All toys go in a big toy bucket at the end of the day. Books (that my son is allowed to play with all day) goes in his wooden walker/trolley (from Ikea), other books that require adult assistance go in our family bookcase, behind glass. We also have a set of 5 plastic drawers (about $25 from discount stores) that contains everything art related - pencils, glue, colouring books, play doh, button to thread, etc. It's great to have a space for everything!

  13. Maureen Sklaroff says

    Ironically, I have been using this week of staying home all day because my kids are sick, to organize our family room and my office/homeschool room. So this article is very timely for me. First of all, gotta say I love the slide show widget thingy! I also particularly love the mural! I'd love to hear where people, who rotate toys, store the toys that are not in rotation. Currently, we have three areas of the house that toys are stored in (for my toddler - the older kids all keep their stuff in their rooms, partially to protect it from the toddler). I move things from one room to another, but wish I had space to store some toys that are not out at all. I also would like a better way to store my daughter's books. We have low bookshelves, but seeing just the spine is not enough to grab her attention.

    • Christie Burnett says

      Hi Maureen, I store our toys that aren't currently on rotation in tubs and boxes in the top or bottom of wardrobes! We use a combination of large square baskets (living room and playroom), bookshelves (bedroom) and sling shelves (playroom- see the Defining Play Spaces #2 slide) for books.

  14. Fiona at Inner Pickle says

    This is fab! We've moved to a smaller house and the toys at the moment just seem to be everywhere... there's some great ideas here, thanks! (Gorgeous slideshow Christie!) xx

  15. LJayne says

    I love baskets! We have a big wicker one in each room for putting everything in at the end of each day. We are very lucky to have a playroom where most things go but I also like the children to know the other rooms in the house are theirs also. Hubby managed to mend an old battered chest of drawers when we bought some new ones and that does us for puzzles, a draw for all the pens & stuff. Even the 2.5 year old knows where stuff is kept and can both get it out and put it away.

  17. Lauren @ Hobo Mama says

    What fun (and pretty!) ideas. We're in the midst of a major purge & reorganization here so can use sparks for what to put into place. We want to get our belongings down to manageable levels so that we can create a specific space for everything and be able to tidy up every day without so much pain. We have a small space and no dedicated play rooms, so I'm glad to hear other people are squeezing in play nooks where they can — we're doing the same. I also want to try rotating toys and books more intentionally, because that helps keep it fun and fresh for all of us!

  18. Maxabella says

    Loads of great ideas there! My biggest problem is getting the kids to actually keep my wonderful divided storage system divided! Little bits of this get stuck in the that box all the time and vice versa. Sigh. x

  19. Jillian says

    I am so glad to hear that I am not the only mom who rotates toys!!! I think it really makes a difference in how they appreciate their things and how new things feel.

  20. Yvonne says

    Great post, I love using old recycled baskets and suitcases to store puzzles and toys. It is so important to have a place for everything, and to organise it so the kids know where to find and (well we try) to put their toys back.

  21. marta says

    hello and i must say this website is the best thing i've seen all day. thank you, thank you. i've landed upon it and am now officially subscribed (and in love). wonderful gobs of ideas. i am so excited to get going on teaching, playing, pretending with my little boy. this april has been a wet one, i'm so happy to have some ideas up my sleeve. i've 'pinned' a whole bunch of your posts on pinterest. xo. marta

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