On Organization

I couldn’t figure out why my daughter rarely played in her room, and when she did, the place was a wreck and it was a battle to clean it up.  She kept bringing things out of her room and finding places throughout the rest of the house to play in.  I’d find piles of toys behind curtains, under tables, in corners and strewn throughout the house.  So I decided to re-evaluate her space.  Nice size room; pretty pink color on the walls; lots and lots (and lots) of toys, dolls, books and clothes; bookcases; cd player, computer, dollhouse, train table, chalkboards, magnet boards, posters, art supplies, fish tank, a desk and more . . . what else could a little girl want?  So why didn’t she like it?

The answer was determined by a serious evaluation and observation of her in the space, as well as by just asking her. Here’s what I found out:

1. She didn’t like the color.  As she had never mentioned this to me, I, of course, had no idea.  I gave her the huge Sherwin Williams paint book to choose from.  Take a wild guess at the color she chose.  Yes, black.  I had to veto black but we painted her furniture black and the walls a pretty blue.  Life was good.  But this wasn’t the real issue.  The main problem was not something she could articulate.  I had to figure it out myself.  So I watched and gave it some serious thought which led to . . .
2. She had too much stuff.  Now, my daughter is not one of those whiny kids who beg for toys all of time.  She actually rarely asks for things at all.  I was the problem.  I’d see something that was just too cute, or would be really educational, on sale, or whatever.  I’d get it for her and then wonder why she never played with it or it got shoved in a corner or under the bed.  So I analyzed what she really played with which turned out to be Barbie’s, Polly Pockets, her computer, her art supplies, books, some puzzles and games, and a few other things.  That’s it.  Everything else went.  I packed them up, donated a bunch, gave some to friends and that was that except . . .
3. The stuff was in the wrong places.  I had everything sealed up in clear plastic boxes high up in her closet and on shelves.  But where she liked to play was on her rug next to the bed.  One of the cardinal rules of organizing that I use everywhere else in the house is to put things where they are used.  Why I didn’t apply this rule to her space, I’ll never know.  I guess I just wanted it to look neat and clean without taking her into consideration.  I went to Target and got low bookshelves with open bins, a rolling plastic set of drawers for papers, open canvas bins to slide under the bed, wall mounted bins for art supplies over her desk - now everything she loves is within reach.  Things she used occasionally like games and puzzles, extra art supplies, etc. stayed on the high closet shelves and out of season clothes went in the attic.   So now we have a place where she actually now plays for hours on end.  The main problem was that . . .
4. I hadn’t used the basic zoning principles in her room.  Think kindergarten classroom or Montessori when designing a kids room.  I had set her room up to look cute.  This was what caused the problems.  Most kids rooms need the following:  sleep zone, table or desk for art/homework/puzzles/etc., reading zone, open floor space for free play, clothes storage w/laundry area, and specific toy places such as trains, legos or doll house depending on child’s personality.  There are other optional areas if needed such as a computer station or a place for a collection but kids needs are pretty simple if you let it be.  I made the mistake of setting up the room for its look, rather than its function.  Design the room around the child and their personality, not what you think it should be or to try to make it look like a magazine. 

The best part of this re-organization of her room is the fact that not only does she really use it, it also takes less than 10 minutes for her to clean up her room herself (I will help but only if she is working on it).  She also enjoyed assisting with the makeover.  She decided where things should go based on where she likes to play with them, and she did all of the labels (she LOVES the label maker - most kids do).

Here’s what I learned from this whole thing:

• Kids don’t need so much stuff – it’s overwhelming and leads to chaos.
• They function better in a space that has clear, defined places for things to be, which also makes it easier to clean up. They know where each item belongs, and can put it there themselves.
• Things get played with more often because they are accessible.
• Kids are calmer and more creative in a simpler space where they feel comfortable and in a space that suits them and who they are.

Simple and easy . . . better for her and better for me.  I don’t spend nearly as much money buying her stuff she really doesn’t need or want, and I don’t battle nearly as much with her over straightening up the room.  Everything has its place and it’s where she wants it to be - takes me out of the equation making my life simpler.  Be mindful when designing a child’s room - it’s about them - not you.  I learned my lesson - and here it is!

Girls Room After Organization

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Tags: kids, organizing

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 12:30 pm and is filed under Home, Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.