Drastically Minimize Kid Clutter with These 3 Simple Tips

Let’s be real, I teach about clutter-free living, and I STILL have to deal with clutter from my crafty kids.

My youngest pre-teen gets knee-deep in various creative projects that generally result in a paper mache sprinkling on her bedroom floor.

Aside from the negative effects of clutter on adults and kids, there are some major benefits of living a clutter-free life for kids.

Here’s the bottom line – kids will live in their space, as they should!

However, you, the parent, can put in place some key structures to make excess and kid clutter less of a reality for your family!

#1. Spatial Constraints Are The Key To Happiness 😌

Ok, maybe not the key to happiness, but they’re definitely the key to clutter-free spaces – ESPECIALLY when it comes to kid clutter.

Spatial constraints are simply pre-determined firm boundaries for your stuff. Boom. Simple, right?

Everything needs a home and should be a pre-determined one, meaning decided before anyone ever begins going through the clutter.

This way, there’s no room for renegotiating or rationalizing on the spot. Make a plan and stick to it.

Here’s why this truly rocks.

Having these pre-determined boundaries helps you in different phases of the clutter-free process, as you’ll see in the next section.

Boundaries are the lifeblood of a clutter-free home! You can dive more into physical (and personal) boundaries in this episode of The Mind Your Home Podcast.

It helps you to actually declutter in the first place

I have used this basic rule with my kids for years, and it is the simplest and most effective method of keeping down toys and other kid clutter.

It sounds like this: “If it fits in the box, it stays. If not, it goes.”

Simple right?

It allows them to make their own decisions (an excellent life skill) without you having to hover, and it’s simple enough for almost any age to understand.

If toys are a big issue in your house, you should check out this article on decluttering kids’ toys when there’s kid stuff everywhere.

It helps with the organization and the creative phase

Once you get the clutter out, this method keeps on keeping on.

This is where those firm borders come into play again.

Because the borders are firm (i.e., not a cabinet, closet, or general spot on the floor), it becomes obvious when a boundary has been breached.

This is important because kids (especially young kids) need something in their faces to keep them on track.

If the toys go in a specific box and are not in the box…it’s obvious that the boundary has been breached.

Everyone understands where the stuff needs to go, and there’s no confusion or ambiguity.

I have a great article that truly covers all the components of a clutter-free space: “A 10-Point Checklist for Managing Clutter in Your Home“.

Check it out to go deeper with themes like using spatial constraints for kid clutter (and more!)

#2. Incentivize Them

There are 2 basic ways to incentivize someone: give them something, or take away something.

It’s pretty straightforward, and I use a bit of a combo platter here at Casa de Mia.

Earn it or lose it

Do your kids LOVE technology?

Man, what a motivator. I have found very few things that motivate ANY kids more than – “no tech until this is done.”

Boom. Mic drop.

Suddenly, things that were “too hard” or “not mine” are magically done.

We always tell my oldest that she has “but I just…” syndrome, especially on the weekends.

If we ask her to do something (dishes, homework, making her bed), the response is

“but I just sat down.”

or

“but I just woke up,”

or

“but I just started this show.”

I don’t enjoy micromanaging…so I usually say something like,

“That’s fine; you can grab a snack and take your time…but no tech until it’s done!”

If you want to get your kids to keep down the clutter without having to micromanage every inch of the way, it’s always nice to have some leverage.

We generally lean more toward positive reinforcement here.

So, instead of “taking away the tech,” we consider this “earning the tech”.

Earn it and gain it

Kids also like money, so using an allowance system attached to a “job” has been a great way to practice money smarts with my kiddos.

I have one who’s great at saving and another who needs a little more education.

The difference between a chore and a job is that chores are expected to contribute to the household.

All of us pull our weight around here, and chores are how the kids contribute. Jobs, on the other hand, are not required but get them money.

My oldest has been the laundry person for a few years now, and she loves it!

She gets paid by the load up to a cap (I had to add that to keep her from washing smaller loads. You experiment, and you learn!), and I never have to do laundry.

She gets upset if I try to do laundry because that’s how she makes money.

My youngest is a recycler. She gets all her money from cans and bottles that we return to the bottle drop.

Her job is to rinse them and put them in a bag. It’s less work and less money, and she’s great at saving.

#3. Own Less Stuff

When it comes to getting kids to keep down the clutter, hands down, the number one consideration should be not to have an overwhelming quantity of stuff.

Fewer toys mean fewer toys on the ground.

This could be an article, so I’ll highlight this important element.

Having too much stuff means giving them too much to be responsible for and setting them up for failure.

It’s like this: too much stuff –> too overwhelming for them to follow through –>lack of confidence in cleaning up –> I’ll ask mom/dad for help whenever –> you clean their room instead.

Get rid of the large quantities that set them up for failure every time and support them in having a manageable amount of goodness.

Say Goodbye To Kid Clutter!

I would love to make this post a two-way conversation.

What’s the one thing you go to when you want your kids to clean up?

How do you deal with kid clutter?

Leave a comment below and let me know!