Back To School Organization with Easy Life Organizing

In order to keep your papers and art organized you’ll want to create two areas! The first area is your everyday storage that collects the drawings, schoolwork, homework, tests, etc. all year long. This can be as simple as a box, bin, or small tote. We recommend that this has a lid so there are no accidental spills! When our family wants to keep something, we’ll put it in this bin and then go through it twice a year! We recommend going through the bin at winter break and summer break and deciding what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. A super cool option when going through the bins is to take photos of everything and turn it into a keepsake photo book, while then recycling the papers and art. The Lansing Mom Team loves using Shutterfly to create these books!

The second area you’ll create is a long term storage spot. We recommend using our paper keepsake storage boxes found on Easy Life Organizing. These plastic totes have the child’s name on the front and a file folder for each year. When it’s time to go through your everyday storage bin (winter and summer break) you’ll downsize on what stays. Limit what you keep to what fits in the folder and make sure your child has a say, this is for them after all. This becomes a wonderful way to keep only what’s important to them while keeping these items from being damaged.

Art too big? Take photos and print those to put in long term storage.

• Coming Home |
  • Create an effective Drop Zone Area (see below)
• In the Kitchen |
  • Put dishes at their level. When it comes to cups, dish ware, and utensils, put them at their level. This could be a spare cabinet or a cube organizer that holds these items. When it’s time to eat, or they want a snack, or water, they grab the dishes they need for themselves. Bonus they can even help put them away too! The key is to set it up in a practical way, where they can reach, and teach them how to use the area with excitement.
  • Snacks are on repeat in homes with young kids and having areas that are just for kids snacks, that are at their level, can make a huge difference. We do recommend being smart about placement though, if it’s not something you want them to have regular access to be sure to put it up high. A shelf in a pantry or a space in a cube organizer is great for this. If you have cold snacks that you’d like them to have access to like yogurts, cheese sticks, and more, a mini fridge is a great option and easily accessible for kids, if you have the space!
• Clothes |
  • Kids tend to have way too many clothes because of gifts, hand me downs, and more. Your first step with getting clothing organized is going to be doing a down size! Be realistic on what they actually wear and how often you do their laundry. Amanda’s son has 7 pants, 7 shirts, 15 t shirts, 4 long sleeves, 5 sweaters, and a couple jackets. They do laundry about once a week and that’s it! Figure out what works for your family in terms of size and then you can get organizing!
  • Let’s be honest, young kids will not put their folded clothes away nicely but they also need to see what they have too. If you have the space a hanging only option can be great for younger kids. Consider putting some hanging rods between two cube organizers instead of using drawers, or creating extra rods in a closet that kids can reach. This way they can see their clothes easily and take them off to use. The bonus is they can also put items on the hangers to put them away. Each night have your kiddo pull clothes for the next day. These systems will give them autonomy to do it themselves! Consider placing underwear and socks in a bin on the cube organizer, or a bin in a closet!
• Toys |
  • It’s easy to forget that kids will be kids. Mess still happens, even at a professional organizer’s house. The key with creating toy systems is recognizing who it is for. 95% of Easy Life Organizing clients say it is for the kids so they will put things away solo. If this is the case in your house too, you’ll need to make things at the kids level and match what they are naturally doing now. Every kid is different but most kids need things to be visible and open. Cube organizers are a hot item for playrooms, art spaces, and bedrooms. We love the Brightroom Bins from Target and use them to sort by categories. As always its important to do a decluttering of the toys with your kids. Once you’re decluttered be sure to keep toys at eye level or lower. With toys we often find that less is more. The less they have the more intentionally they will play with toys!

Entry Drop Zone

• Drop Baskets | We want to give each person in the home a bin or basket to store their items. For adults it holds wallets, keys, hats, sunglasses, etc. For kids they hold sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, travel toys, etc. This also gives you a spot for hats/gloves in the winter. This is essential because now you are creating a home for these items instead of them being left everywhere.
• Coat Hooks | Most people either use a coat rod in a closet or hooks on a wall for jackets. But for kids, we want it to be accessible for them. Install hooks on the wall at their level for their book bags and coats. This will make them independent and leave you with less stress getting out the door.
• Shoes | It’s very rare that a short and long shoe rack makes sense. In a closet they just get covered up by coats and outside the closet they take up precious floor space. Usually Easy Life Organizing recommends a skinny and tall shoe rack. A closet works nicely to put this in and then put coats on the other side of the closet. In an open area it will give you more space to put a boot tray for wet shoes. Make sure we put the littles shoes at the bottom and then you’re all set!

Want help getting your home organized? Be sure to connect with Amanda at Easy Life Organizing to get your home functioning optimally with less stress and clutter!