Is your child’s room a disaster zone?  Do you have clothes, books and toys strewn all over the place?  Giving some organization to this room might seem like an overwhelming task but it is one that needs to be done.  Here’s a plan of attack and some suggestions you can use to give some organization to your child’s room this weekend.

First, go through everything in the room.  Are there things in the room that really don’t belong there?  For example, does your child have a bookshelf in the family room where his books should be stored, not in the toy box in their room?  Does your child have some toys that she no longer plays with or has outgrown?  Take them out and give to a friend or donate to a charity.  How about clothes?  Since you’re organizing everything else now is the time to go through the dressers and closet and pull out clothes that your child no longer wears or has outgrown.

Next, decide what you need to have to do your child’s room organized.  You might need to buy some hooks, shoe racks, storage bins or other items to keep things under control.  Don’t overlook things you currently have in your home that can make great storage containers.  Diaper wipe boxes make great holders for art supplies.  Laundry baskets can be a good place to store toys.

Take a look around the room and see where you can utilize space.  If your child has some special things she wants to keep safe, a shelf on the wall could be the answer.  Don’t forget about unused space on the wall over a window or closet as a place to put shelves.  Over the door storage hooks or shoe containers, under bed storage containers, and plastic storage boxes that fit on the top shelf of a closet are also great tools to utilize the space you have.  Once you’ve decided what you need to do and where you can store things go to the store to purchase what you need.  Hooks in the closet or on the wall are a great place for your child to hang her book bag, bathrobe, and coat.

Label everything so your child knows where to put things when she is finished with them.  If your child can’t read, consider using labels with pictures or color-coding toy bins (the red bin is for your cars, the blue one for your action figures, etc.).

Finally, begin teaching your children about the responsibility for cleaning at an early age.  For young children you can make it a “pick up” game before bath time so they learn that they need to put their toys away at the end of every day.  You can also try to set some ground rules and limits about toys with your child.  For example, if you want to play with your tea set then you need to put away your fashion dolls first.