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Recently I had the pleasure of working with a client in her young daughter's room. At the beginning of the project, I had suggested that we include her child in the process, but Mom felt that allowing her child to help would only slow down the job. It would be too difficult and painful for her to go through the inevitable job of purging. I bowed to Mom's judgment in this, after all she knows her own daughter best.

I am still inclined to think that including children in the organization of their own space is an excellent way to help teach them strategies that could be useful to them during their lives as well as make them feel as if they have a say in their own space. I understand the challenges a child may face trying to decide what to keep and what to let go. Many adults have the same problem!

What we opted for was to sort and purge things ourselves, then, I redesigned the space to better accommodate the child's needs and interests. After the layout was done, we brought her daughter back and she helped replace items in their new spaces and labeled them. She had so much fun with the labeler that she didn't really notice that many of her things were gone!

There are some basic strategies I use when it comes to sorting kid's rooms.
Start with 3 piles:

Toss
Donate
Keep

Toss anything with broken or missing pieces, even if it's a relatively new toy. Donate anything they have outgrown or any duplicates. Keep only the most favored or frequently played with items.

Once you see what you have left, it will make it a lot easier to devise appropriate storage solutions.

If you still have trouble getting started or motivated, call a professional organizer. We can help you and your kids achieve a more simple and less cluttered lifestyle.

Organizing With Kids