The Christmas season is pretty much here, and I'm sure if you're like many parents, you are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the many toys that will be received by your precious littles. Or maybe you're already overwhelmed by the amount of stuff your child has accumulated!
This Pre-Holiday Purge came to me as I was helping my children declutter their books. I know that they will be receiving books for Chirtmas, and the kids were home on Thanksgiving break, so I felt like today would be a great day to go through them all and donate some!
So created these top 5 Kid Categories to Declutter Before Christmas, so you are able to best prepare for this upcoming Christmas season like a professional organizer.
Toys!
I have a feeling you knew that would be the first thing to purge! My kids are loved by so many family members that I know we will be receiving several as gifts. Ask family members to be conscious about the amount of toyds gifted and really focus in on the interests/needs of the kids (i.e sports equipment, event based gifts, or hobbies). It will help tremendously decrease the amount of toys received, while also showing their love for your child.
However, just because family agrees to minimize gifts, doesn't mean that the toy pile won't increase significantly after the last family gathering. That's why I would encourage you NOW to declutter some toys!
Ways to declutter toys include: looking for anything that is broken, never played with, has missing pieces, or has outgrown the space it occupies.
Clothes/Shoes
This category can quickly become overwhelming, especially when your child already has 20 pairs of leggings and is gifted more for Christmas!
Take the time to look for extreme stains in clothing, items that no longer fit, and articles of clothing your child just doesn't like to wear.
When I went through my childrens' clothes the other day, I was shocked by how many clothes my youngest dughter had due to new clothes being purchased and the hand me downs she received from her sister. No wonder I felt overwhelmed with laundry!! She downsized nearly half of her clothes and LOVED it because she was able to see all of her favorites hanging or folded without the clutter of the unwanted items!
Books
A book purge was the task we took on today! We love books around our house, and the library may be one our favorite low-key acitivies to visit in the area.
So, I wouldn't say the purge was highly successful BUT it did give us a fresh reminder of the books we do have. The kids surprisingly cleared out roughly 10 books to donate.
If you are like us and LOVE books, I would like to suggest under bed storage to serve as a rotation for your books. #Target has some afforable options depending on how much you need to store. My personal favorite is the 41 qt because it is large enough to store our children's book collection.
Regardless of what you do, focusing on the book shelf will help decrease clutter before Christmas.
Quick tips to declutter books include: books the kids have outgrown, no longer interested in, or damaged to the point they aren't readable.
Board Games and Activity Kits
Alright, I'm referring to the random game that never gets played because it has a few missing pieces, but you don't want to get rid of it because your child used to love playing it, board game. Or the board game that your children have outgrown and just sits on the shelf collecting dust. It's okay to let it go. If the game is still in great shape, donate it. Another mom may be estastic to find it for her little one. If it's missing pieces, it won't serve its' purpose for the next family. Trash it.
I'm also referring to the random activity kit thay never gets used because it no longer has the right pieces. For example sand art... but there are no longer any bottles left to fill. Get rid of the sand. You will probably never buy bottles to finish up the last of the sand.
And while I'm on the topic of activity kits, it's okay to display the sand art, paint canvases/figurines, birdhouses, or gem art for a period of time, but your child won't be able to keep it ALL forever. Take a picture of the child with the item as a memory and toss the item however you see fit.
Clear off the shelf to make room for other fun board games and activity kits your child may get for Christmas by focusing on games and kits that have missing pieces or the children have outgrown.
Random Odds and Ends
This category could easily be fit in with the toy declutter, but I wanted to make it a separate category as a tribute to the tiny pieces that hang around the house without a purpose.
These items could include: a random tire to a car you will never fix, a Barbie accesory that always ends up in the hallway, but you know for a fact your child never plays with it, or the random happy meal toy that you are always stepping on in the middle of the night. If these seem very specific, it's because they are!!!
Purge the random odds and ends around your house that just create more work for you and cause unnecessary clutter in your home!
I hope this gives you some manageable tasks to help declutter your childrens' stuff before Christmas.
This is such a magical time of the year, and I want you to enter into the season without the stress of clutter in your home!
P.S If you need some help tackling your childrens' room or play areas, let's begin by scheduling a complimentary consultation, and get you on our organizing calendar before Christmas!
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