The busy little girl's closet
Children own a lot of stuff; especially girls. There's the wardrobe, the accessories, the dolls, the toys, the school supplies, arts and crafts, and that's just what can be pulled out in one morning. Finding a way to keep your girl organized is an excellent way to maintain your sanity and ease of accessibility, and teach her a vital lesson in responsibility. Does this Spark an idea?
Purge
You should begin your organizational endeavor with a thorough purge. Find clothes she has outgrown, toys she hasn't played with in at least six months and tapped-out craft paraphernalia and box it up for donation or toss it in the trash. From this point on you should enforce a rule that dictates whenever anything new comes into the house, something old should be donated. This will keep the clutter from piling up and help maintain the organizational system you will put into place.
The Closet
A closet can easily become a "catch-all" for most anything in a girl's room. To organize this space start by removing everything that isn't clothing or shoes. Next, pull out-of-season items, fold them and store them in a clear plastic container labeled appropriately i.e. "winter" or "summer." Many organizers like to arrange hanging clothing by color. For a child, it makes more sense to group them in categories for dress, school and play. Display shoes clearly and within easy reach for a small person. A little girl won't remember what is inside shoe boxes at the top of the closet and anything out of sight may get forgotten until after she has outgrown them.
School Stuff
Keep school materials in a special place to keep up with assignments and deadlines. Affix two hooks, one for her coat and one for her backpack, near the front door, for pick up and deposit each day. Next, place a colored basket right next to the hooks. Have her put all notes from school and graded papers in that basket every day for your review. This way nothing gets lost, wrinkled or eaten by the dog.
Toys
If you want your child to learn pick up after herself, keep toys in easy-to-access bins without lids. Resist the urge to super-categorize everything. Making it simple, like a big bin for big toys and a small bin for small toys will ensure things get put away with more frequency than if she has to sort through dozens of toy types every time she cleans. If you must use more specific categories, try to label the bins so that it is always clear where things go. If your girl isn't old enough to read, use pictures or photos taped to the bins.
Stations
Another cute idea is to separate her room or playroom into separate areas. Use different throw rugs to give each area a different feel or just let each area speak for itself. You can create one area just for imaginative play. Things like dolls and kitchen toys can live in this space. Another corner of the room can be just for reading. Place a bookshelf and some comfortable seating around for a relaxing read. Across from the reading corner you can put a dress-up corner with a mirror and a trunk full of princess and pirate clothing. Finally, create an arts-and-crafts spot with a table or an easel and bins of crayons and chalk.
Tags: each area, little girl, this space, your girl
