Are you ready to Marie Kondo your home? Today’s activity is all about inviting your kids to learn to organize and take ownership of their space or things. I decided to do this activity with my kids because I want them to learn the importance of tidying up their personal spaces and taking some pride in caring for their belongings. We have advice about how to get started on organization, and how to tailor this activity to children of different ages. I highly recommend you read up on the links first to gather or purchase some of the recommended things you’ll need to make this process run smoothly. The last thing you want is for your kids to become distracted or bored. Remember to make it fun—play some music in the background or treat them to some ice cream afterwards.
For more ideas about summer experiences you can do while learning at home with your kids, visit the main page, Charter a Summer of Learning.
Organization for Preschoolers
For young children, I recommend picking one “space” to focus on first—this could be their closet, toys, book shelves, etc. Have them become part of the sorting process. This is something simple and easy they can do while you’re doing some of the more challenging parts. If your focus is on clothes, have them make a pile of all their clothes. Have bins or bags ready for this process and help them sort it out between keep, donate, resell, or store away for another season. Continue this method for their toys and books.
For this age group, you may be doing the heavy lifting—but at least they’re learning a few things and keeping busy. Here are a few links that may be helpful:
“Watch Marie Kondo Organize a Messy Kids’ Toy Area,” Laura Schocker, Apartment Therapy, August 26, 2018
“Organize Kids Clothes,” Woo Jr.
Organization for Grade Schoolers
For children in middle grades, talk about the purpose of this activity. You can apply everything from the preschooler section plus more. This age can definitely be more hands on with sorting, folding, and the decision making. For this age group, getting them involvthed in the decision making is key! It will take more time and patience on your end to let your kids take a more involved role in reorganizing their bedroom, but it will create some ownership and some good teachable lessons.
Here are a few links to give some guidance and tips:
“The Best Decluttering Tips for Kids,” Emily, Journey of Parenthood, February 20, 2019
“How to Teach Your Children to Keep Their Room Clean,” Dollie Freeman, Joyfilled Mom
Teens Design a Dream Room
For teens, start with a healthy conversation about the end goal. Ask how much they want to be a part of the organization process. Maybe they can create Pinterest dream boards about what they’d like their room to look like. Maybe they can be a part of the purchasing process. Have them read up on all the links we’ve shared so they get a better understanding of the task that lies ahead. Let them work and see what they come up with. Besides the links already shared, here’s another one geared towards teens:
“How to Get Your Teen to Clean and Organize Their Room,” Dionne, Home Made Our Way
Read More About Kids and Organization
If you’re unfamiliar with Marie Kondo and her methods, this blog post shared a great overview:
“10 Things Tidying Up with Marie Kondo Can Teach Your Kids,” Laura, Sunny Day Family, January 27, 2019
For more ideas about summer experiences you can do while learning at home with your kids, visit the main page, Charter a Summer of Learning.
About the Author
Lora Idol is a working mom and part of the San Antonio Charter Moms team. She is a wife, a mom to three kiddos ages 10, 8, and 7, and a dog mom to a German shepherd named Gunnar. Organizing parts of her home brings her joy. When she’s not working she loves reading, writing, thrifting, hanging out with her friends, and watching football.
