10 Awesome Ways To Organize A Kids’ Space

Hello friends! I am just getting back into my groove after a quick solo trip to So Ca to meet my newest nephew. It was so much fun to see my brother and his family. My sister-in-law is one of my favorite people, I loved holding sweet baby Riggs and his big brothers are pretty fun too! They are hilarious and spending time with littles is a lot of fun. Especially cause mine are now giants! I mean, my teen really doesn’t like to willingly hug me anymore so you know, I really soaked up the hugs and snuggles. While I was there, I wrestled and played tag, played a new game, learned about the solar system, held a baby, enjoyed yummy food, had a sweet talk with my 5-year-old nephew about our favorite things, told jokes, laughed a lot and helped organize a little {cause that’s kinda my ‘thing’}.

Typically, when my sister-in-law is pregnant, they fly me to them to help them get organized. That didn’t happen this time due to scheduling conflicts. So I tried to help where I could and gave some pointers on how they could get better organized. It’s so easy to feel like you are drowning in stuff and wondering how you will swim out of it.

My drive home allowed me to think a lot. I was thinking about home decor and how to organize a space, specifically a kids’ space. Cause that’s just where my mind goes on long solo car rides. And at night when I am drifting off to sleep. And whenever I am awake really cause I love decorating and organizing is therapeutic for me. Ha ha! There was also the major rocking out to every song that I love. But even that can get boring for 6 hours! I’m sure I looked awesome though. Especially when I played the air drums. 😉 #visualizethat #dontstopbelieving

I have to say, some people thrive on organization. Others want it but it ends up at the bottom of their to do list. I will say though, everyone I know functions better when they are organized. It somehow just makes you feel like you have stuff together. A cluttered space can make you feel like you are suffocating.

In an ideal world full of time, I would have stayed longer and helped them organize their condo. Their place is small. It’s Southern California. To have an actual house is not cheap. They have 3 kids. Two bedrooms, 2.5 baths. My sister in law homeschools, she is crafty, the kids have toys. These are all a big part of their world. They all take up space too. They also don’t have a backyard so everything has to have a space inside their home.

Suggestions on how to get and stay organized:

• Purge
• Don’t buy what you don’t absolutely need
• Use the space you have wisely – remember, under the bed and the tops of closets are great places to store things that won’t be used as often.
• Enlist the help of your kids. It’s much easier to get them to help if they know that everything has a home. Turn it into a game, play a fun song and make it the ‘clean up’ song. Hey, whatever works, right?

My favorite tools to stay organized:

• Cubbies
• Baskets
• Jars
• Bookcases
• Wall hooks
• Labels

How to minimize:

• Think about having fewer clothes – a capsule wardrobe is a great way to minimize the amount of clothes that your kids have.
• Get rid of the toys that the kids don’t play with! Donate them to churches, days cares, preschools, etc. Toys have a pretty short shelf life as far as how long they are played with. Get rid of them!

I have found some awesomely organized spaces to share with you! My own kids are beyond the hoards of toys these days. They are more about technology and my oldest loves fishing so he has a lot of fishing stuff. My youngest still enjoys Legos but they are mostly corraled to Rubber Maid bins. Once upon a time, cubbies like the ones below, were my best way to stay organized.  Keep on reading for some fun organized spaces that could easily be done in most homes.

Cubbies are great for corraling all of the things. One of my faves is from IKEA. I really love how A Bowl Full of Lemons organized her cubbies using labeled storage bins.

If you are feeling extra creative, Shanty 2 Chic has a great DIY storage unit to get you organized.

Boxwood Clippings really utilized the space on these shelves. The use of baskets and bins helps corral things and makes the area look pretty too!

These galvanized buckets + chalkboard labels at Domestic Charm are a unique way to organize the outside stuff. It would be a great idea for a garage or a balcony if you live in a condo or townhome.

A Thoughtful Place utilized her closet as part of the bedroom. She took off the doors and added some bookcases. She also added a few bits of decor to make it feel like part of the bedroom. We actually did the same thing with our kids’ closets. Soon, I will be sharing a home tour so you can see how I keep things neat {most of the time} around here.

I can’t find the original source for this one but I love how they created an organized closet. The baskets on the door add even more space for storage and the big basket outside of the closet is a great place to catch toys.

Here is another organized cubby at Our Inviting Home. It keeps all of the games, crafts, and books in one spot.

This IKEA caddy over at Suburble is a great way to stash all the arts and crafts goodies. Caddies are a great way to store so many things. My sister uses her’s as a diaper changing station. It’s an awesome way to keep stuff together.

I love this styled book shelf over at Studio McGee. It’s simple yet with the addition of the funky baskets, you get even more storage out of it.

This command center at Org Junkie is a great way to get stuff organized as soon as it comes through your door. It’s a part of their mudroom but I love that each kid/person has a basket to keep track of their stuff and a hook to hang backpacks/purses/etc.

Do you need help getting organized? I’d love to answer your questions and give guidance so please feel free to email me or comment below.

xo,

Gabby