Decluttering can be hard by yourself. But add in kids and you've gotten yourself into a whole new bundle of... JOY! You thought I was going to say problems or something didn't you? Either way, decluttering can get a bit more complicated with kiddos.
So here is a list of ways to help get your kids decluttering with you. Take your pick and leave what doesn't work for you and your family. Let me know in the comments your favorite tip!
10 Ways to Get your Kids Decluttering:
Start by being a good example. If your bedroom is a disaster, the kitchen is always a mess, and your office looks like a paper fairy threw up everywhere, your kids are going to feel it is unfair (either consciously or unconsciously) when you tell them it's time they get serious about tidying up and donating their toys. The best approach, is to declutter YOUR stuff first (maybe even 2 rounds of decluttering) before asking them to work on their part. This is not only more fair, but they will also probably have seen you decluttering and become curious and interested in it. Use this to your advantage. Maybe the following tips won't even be necessary for your more motivated child(ren).
Teach them the benefits of decluttering. Just like adults, kids benefit from having less stuff. They have more room to play, more mental space for creativity, and less toys to pick up. Kids don't like cleaning their room all the time, so try explaining to them decluttering well now will help make cleaning their room easier for all the days to come.
Make it a game. See how fast you can fill a box or bag. If you are drowning in unloved toys, maybe come up with a week or month long game with points or a big prize at the end. If your kids are old enough, ask for their input on the type of game they want to play to help declutter.
Come up with a system for storing completed artwork. It's much easier to declutter papers if your kids already know the rules. For example, you could have a bulletin board for their newest and favorite art and a filing folder or drawer for each kid's keeper pile. But the rule is, once the folder or drawer is full (make sure to define full), then something has to go before they can put more in. No storing papers under the bed or on the dining room table. Once you've set a similar system up with some simple rules with your kids, then you need to encourage and enforce it. But you'll probably find that after a while... they'll be doing it on their own.
Create a tradition around Christmas and/or birthdays to declutter before getting more gifts. Your kids might find this idea intuitive and go right along with it. Try explaining that in order to make more room for their new toys, they first need to let some of their old toys go. If they don't go for that and you're feeling desperate, you can also try, "We are going to declutter until we fill this box or you aren't getting any toys tomorrow." Another great idea is to try this tradition with the following idea.
Encourage your kids to be altruistic. Find a local organization that gives toys or kids items to those in need. You can look for a foster organization, local shelter, or global non-profit (or just the thrift store). Remind your kids that the toys, books, and clothes they don't really need and love, could be being loved by another child who doesn't have any. Take this idea to the next level by taking your kids to volunteer at an organization like this so they can see the positive impact of their current (and future) decluttered items. Obviously this can work during anytime of year, but I recommend adding it as a pre-Christmas tradition.
Try bribing your kids. You can try offering them money, screen time, a fun outing, less chores, or a yummy treat. What you can bribe them with is endless, but the idea is you encourage them to declutter a certain number of items or fill a box (or five) to get the promised reward. This will help them to want to declutter when they were perhaps, previously very unwilling.
Bribe the whole family (including you). If you don't love the idea of bribing your kids with short term rewards, or you want to help make decluttering a teamworking experience, try this: Come up with a grand prize for the whole family once the entire house has been decluttered. Take a vacation, go on an exciting outing, or buy a family prize (pool, hot tub, Xbox, or trampoline). This will certainly motivate your kids (if you pick the right prize) but it will also motivate you and your spouse. Plus, you will all be accountable to one another to declutter faster. NOTE: Make sure to clearly define the prize (where, budget, plan) and when you have earned it (car parked in garage, no visible clutter, we've decluttered X categories, etc). If you leave these details unclear, either you will end up doing the prize too early and then never finishing your decluttering, or you'll not be sure if you are really done decluttering yet and give up on making it to the prize.
Create a daily pick up routine with decluttering upkeep included. For example, maybe you set a timer for 15 min each night before story time and everyone picks up (you pick up adult clutter and they pick up their clothes and toys). Have a box at the front door where the donations go. And while you are picking up, everyone knows to try to find at least one thing to declutter. If your kids don't find anything in the 15 min, you can choose to say, "Okay no problem bud, next time" or you can spend a couple min afterwards to help them pick one thing. Obviously you can alter and adjust this routine as much as you want depending on your kids' ages and your level of clutter. But the point is find a daily or weekly routine that works for you and your kids.
Be kind. This is the most important step of all. If you nag, push, and force your kid(s) to declutter when they are unwilling, they will become completely resistant to decluttering anything. Or worse yet, your kid(s) (especially your most obedient or sensitive child) will end up giving in and get rid of whatever you want them to without voicing their own desires. Remember that possessions are personal. And although as their parent you do have a certain right to what they do and don't keep, you also have a right to teach them to think for themselves and become competent adults. Decluttering is never more important than relationships.
My hope for you and your family, is that through decluttering your home, you may all become closer and create the time and space for doing more of what you love.
Let me know in the comments... what was your favorite tip!
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