Warm and sunny days are ahead and that typically means more time for play. If you have an extra 30 minutes, you can tackle play zones with bite size projects to encourage independence all summer long. We've created an easy to follow organizing guide to simplify the process - because we know you don't need another complicated task as the school year is ending. As you work, don't forget to embrace the small steps toward a more organized home and enjoy the process.
Start by downloading the printable PDF guide below to help you select projects, plan time to complete them, overcome challenges, and set an ultimate goal. Next, check out our suggested projects and choose up to five that resonate with you.
Select up to five projects (or create your own!) and add them to your organizing guide. Don't forget to schedule 30 minutes for the days/times that work best for you.
Sports Gear
Corral sports gear together. Depending on how it is used, you may want to sort by sport or type of gear. Would it be helpful to gather all balls together in an open basket or would it make more sense to place all baseball items together? Once you have determined this, set aside anything that is no longer age-appropriate or well-loved for donation. Lastly, place each category within a bin and add a label. This way no one is confused where to find what.
Board Games
Pull all your board games out of the space they're stored in and take a moment to remove any that are missing a good amount of pieces or are no longer being played. If boxes are broken beyond repair, it's a good idea to gather all the pieces in a large zipper pouch. This is also a huge space saver and something that's really easy to do with puzzles. Return boxes and pouches back to the space. Try turning them on their sides to prevent toppling stacks and sorting by color for a cleaner visual.
Dress-Up
Sort through costumes and dress up items by doing an edit of anything that no longer fits. Next, determine whether they can be hung on a lower closet rod or child size clothing rack. If that's not an option, consider corralling all dress up clothing in an oversized lidded floor basket, for easy access. If you want to take it to the next level, color code all hung items. Accessories can be gathered together in one or more baskets nearby.
Stuffed Toys
Stuffed toy collections can easily accumulate. Regular edits are necessary in order to keep them from overwhelming your space. Once you've decided which toys are staying, we like to corral them all together in a large floor basket or toy box. Whatever vessel you choose, limit the collection to only what will fit inside it. Don't forget! Remove donations before little ones stumble upon them.
Building Toys
Whether you're dealing with LEGO or Lincoln Logs, we typically like to organize them within a cubby system or lidded bins. A small collection can go into a single cubby sized bin, while a more extensive collection may need subcategorized. Depending on how your children play, you can categorize by color, set or dump them in a big bin all together. Add labels to each bin for easy clean up.
Figurines
Start by pulling all dolls, action figures and other "friends" together and doing an edit of any that are no longer played with. From there, determine whether you need to subcategorize, keeping in mind that broad categories often make it easier to maintain your system. We love cubby systems for these types of toys, because one category usually fills a single bin. However you decide to store them, just be sure they are divided by type and labeled.
xx,
the NEAT team
