How do you get tween organized? It seems to be a common question among parents with kids who are transitioning from little boys and girls to full-fledged tweens.
Getting my tween organized was a little frustrating, at times, but we pushed through and made it happen. We went through her room–together, which is really important because not only is it an opportunity to “teach” them how to organize, but once you’re done, they can’t tell you they don’t know where things go!
We completely reorganized and contained all of my daughter’s stuff, which was quite a project, but to her credit went rather smoothly. My daughter is a visual type who tends to accumulate a lot of clutter, so we provided her with a place for everything…and, with a little push, she puts everything in its place.
We started with her bookcase where out of 5 shelves, only one was actually filled with books. The others contained the dreaded knick-knacks. It’s amazing how much she’s collected over her short life, but it’s enough to visually drive most people nuts! After sorting and organizing the shelves, I wanted to come up with a way to further minimize the visual clutter. To save time and money, I bought a canvas-type drop cloth at Lowe’s that had finished edges. It cost all of $10. We measured and cut the drop cloth, leaving a few inches to tuck it over the top of the bookcase, attaching it with Velcro so it would stay put. I finished the two remaining edges on the sewing machine and voila, instant clutter control. We then spray painted orange and red (the colors used in her room) stencils on the canvas. It looks like a custom design and what a relief to not have to look at the “stuff” behind it, so if the bookshelf did get cluttered, once again, at least it was out of site.
Next we tackled the closet, which already had shelving in it. We sorted her clothing, eliminating items she’d grown out of and things she didn’t wear. I then added a canvas hanging bag with two drawers to house her socks, underwear and unmentionables (God forbid you say the word “bra” around a tween you’re likely to get the “Mom, you’re weird” response). The open shelves were used for folded shirts and pants. I also used free-standing canvas containers (all the same style) labeled Electronics, Hair Accessories, Teen Magazines, Games, Pajamas, Jewelry and other categories of things she has. The labeled containers again minimize the visual clutter and make putting things away very simple.
Her desk has two small containers on it for pencils, paper and other little items that collect on the surface, but that can be tossed into the baskets, which are sorted and purged regularly. Her nightstand has closed storage where she keeps an extra blanket, some reading materials and her eye mask for sleeping (yes, she actually wears it!).
Two very important items in any room, but especially a tweens: A trash can and a clothes hamper. Now getting them to use it may take some reminders, but much of the clutter that accumulates can be trash (packaging from items purchased) including tags from new clothing AND laundry on the floor.
The key in any Tweens room is to do one big clean sweep, “editing” and “updating” the room so items that can be stored elsewhere (for example, school projects and artwork) are not co-mingling with the everyday items. Again, have a place for everything, to make clean up a cinch. Allow extra space to grow in the containers, which includes dresser drawers, nightstands and under the bed storage. You don’t want to jam pack things into a space. There needs to be a bit of space so you can access what lives in each container (and I strongly recommend NOT placing more than two categories of items in one container to make sure the container doesn’t become a catch all).
Teaching your child how to straighten up and organize is important. It will require you to supervise until they get the hang of it, but the time and effort will have your tween doing it on their own eventually. And remember, there is a difference between cleaning and organizing: If a room is organized, cleaning is a breeze, which you can then teach him or her how to do too!!
Note: Unfortunately, I didn’t have a picture of the finished book case or closet, but you can see how her room shaped up in the photo above.
Related posts:
oh some very good ideas!! now to find the time to get it done- any suggestions? other than taking a day off work!!!??
Yes, Dina, there is a way other than taking a day off. The GOPACK Method is designed so you can do it one step at a time. For Step One: Group Objects, I suggest using containers to divide the "like items" for the Step Two: Purge.
The containers could be Bankers Boxes, which are available at Office Supplies stores. They are easy to assemble and have a top, so they can be stacked. These boxes can also be used later on for storage. Place a post-it-note on the outside versus writing on the box so you can use the box for other items later, then permanently label it.
When grouping, simply take items one-by-one and put them in the appropriate boxes: For example, go through a drawer and pull out "jewelry," "notepads and related stationery items," "photos" in another, "Electronics" in another. Then place the tops back on the boxes and do the Purge another day. You can even break up the "Group Objects" over a period of days by spending 30 minutes at a time. Chances are, most of what is grouped are items that aren't used on regular basis, and if you do come across those, set aside a space to place them so they aren't co-mingled with other items and are easy to find.
Hope that helps! Let me know if you have additional questions.