Reorganize Your Kid’s Bedroom For Extra Space — And Extra Functions

A well-organized child’s bedroom is less work for everyone in the family. It makes it easier for kids to find their toys, books, clothes and other items. Tidying up is also less of a chore. Now is the perfect time to reorganize your kids’ bedrooms if you haven’t already.

The following months will probably see all of us spending a lot of time at home with homeschooling, working from home and social distancing guidelines. In other words, everyone needs space. One way to obtain it is by reorganizing your rooms so that they can perform several different functions. Here’s how to tackle your kids’ bedrooms and transform them into efficient, multi-functional spaces:

1. Start with a thorough sorting

This first step might also be the most important. Every parent knows too well how much stuff accumulates in a child’s room over a relatively short stretch of time. They accumulate new toys, books, school projects, clothing, knickknacks, collections and so on. That’s why it’s essential to begin your bedroom reorganizing project with a very in-depth decluttering.

• • Clothing – Kids grow out of their clothes in months, so go through them regularly. Take all the clothes out of the closets and drawers and put them in a pile on the floor. Pick through each item to see whether it still fits the child or not. Arrange them into categories. Keep good clothes in the closet. Store the ones you might want to keep for your younger kids. Discard any stained, tattered or otherwise damaged clothing. This should free up some space in your closet.
  • Books and toys – Repeat the action described above with books and toys. Make sure you pack away all the items your child no longer uses. Keeping stuff that the kids no longer use only causes clutter and prevents them from discovering and engaging with new books and toys.
  • Furniture – Make sure that all the furniture in your kid’s bedroom is suitable for their age and the activities they do. It should also save space. For example, if there are a children’s table and chairs in the room for playing, switch them for a more versatile desk. Instead of just using it for play, a desk is suitable for doing homework, playing, coloring, and so on. In the case of a small room, you could install a bunk bed with a study table or a playing/reading area underneath.
  • Use self storage for the clothing, toys and furniture you don’t need right now. Quality children’s items are expensive, so save them if you’re planning to expand your family. Make sure you pack everything properly in sturdy, lidded boxes. Also, pick the type of storage that’s the most suitable for your climate. If you’re living in an area with hot weather and high humidity, like Tampa, a climate-controlled storage unit might be your best choice.

2. Create separate areas for different activities

Create defined areas in the bedroom based on your child’s age and day-to-day activities. Setting up different zones is helpful regardless of age. But keep in mind, a three-year-old’s needs will differ from those of a tween. Here are the main things you should focus on:

• The sleeping area – Place the bed in the quietest corner of the room, ideally away from doors and windows. This placement promotes peaceful sleep, uninterrupted by light from outside or noise from the rest of the house. Avoid putting the bed in the center of a wall, particularly if it’s a small bedroom, as it divides the room.
• The learning area – Set the desk to face a wall near a window. This placement minimizes distractions and benefits from natural light. A desk with drawers provides great storage space for papers, pens, crayons and so on. If your child is at an age where they need to use a computer for homework, make sure that the desk is large enough for a computer desktop or a laptop. Even with the computer, there should still be space to write.
• Play and exercise area – Reserve a corner of the room where your child can play, exercise, dance and jump around unobstructed by furniture and other things. Keep it minimal. A couple of pillows or a bean bag chair is all they need. Older kids can use this corner as a reading space.

3. Expand storage throughout the room

Do you want to know the real secret of a well-organized kid’s bedroom? It’s creating enough storage space to contain all of the bits and pieces. There are many easy ways to add more storage to the room. Here are some ideas:

• Floor-to-ceiling shelves are an elegant solution for a lack of storage space. Reserve one wall of the room for this purpose. If you don’t have an entire free wall, integrate other pieces of furniture into your floor-to-ceiling shelves. For example, if you have a couple of drawer chests, you can build shelves around and on top of them. The design will look intentional.
• Use flat, lidded boxes for under-bed storage.
• Vertical storage, like over-the-door organizers or mesh towers, is a great solution for containing small items. The best part is that they don’t take any floor space.
• Collapsible baskets or bins contain the mess and are great for carrying stuff from the child’s bedroom to other parts of the house and vice versa.
• A pegboard on the wall fitted with hooks and small containers is perfect for storing arts and crafts supplies, backpacks, hats, small toys and so on.

Ready to start the re-organizing project? Make sure you involve your children and encourage them at a young age to tidy up their own rooms.