Clutter-Free Kids: Easy Sustainable Habits for Busy Families
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A Sorted Affair
Kim & Lyn
Life with kids is busy, and stuff tends to multiply faster than you can say “clean-up.”
Toys sneak into the kitchen, socks disappear into thin air, and you’re forever tripping over something that doesn’t belong where it is. We’ve been there (five kids between us!) and we know it’s overwhelming.
The good news? You don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy storage or dedicate your weekends to reorganising. A few small changes can make your home calmer, your mornings easier, and—bonus—they’re better for the planet too.
1. Teach Tiny Habits Early
Even the littlest kids can help keep things in order if it’s made simple. Give them one hook for their coat and bag, a basket for their shoes, and show them where to pop their lunchbox after school.
It sounds small, but it’s amazing how quickly these little routines stick—and how much less stuff ends up on the floor.
It sounds small, but it’s amazing how quickly these little routines stick—and how much less stuff ends up on the floor.
2. Stop Buying “More Storage”
We know the temptation: clutter everywhere, so you buy another box. But more boxes don’t fix the problem—they just hide it. Try this instead:
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· Go through toys, clothes, and random bits regularly.
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· Rotate toys so kids don’t get bored (and so you don’t feel buried).
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· Use the “one-in, one-out” rule. If a new toy comes in, one old toy goes to another home. Easy.
3. Rethink Toys & Gifts
Kids don’t need endless toys. In fact, studies show children usually play better when there’s less to choose from.
A quick trick for decluttering toys is our Traffic Light method:
Get the children them to stick coloured dots on their toys or create a green, orange and red zone in a room—green for favourites, orange for “maybe,” and red for ones they don’t care
A quick trick for decluttering toys is our Traffic Light method:
Get the children them to stick coloured dots on their toys or create a green, orange and red zone in a room—green for favourites, orange for “maybe,” and red for ones they don’t care
about. Pass on the reds, hide the oranges for a while, and see if they ask for them. If not, those can go too.
And when birthdays roll around? Don’t be shy about suggesting experience gifts (like zoo passes or art classes) or things they actually need. It saves your house from another plastic explosion.
4. Make It Easy for Kids to Help
Set up little “zones” that kids can manage:
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· A low drawer with their cups, bowls, and snacks.
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· A labelled box for school uniforms.
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· One memory box for their art and keepsakes instead of piles everywhere.
When kids know where things belong, they’re much more likely to put them back. (Okay, most of the time!)
5. Pass It On Sooner
If you’ve got bags of clothes “to grow into” or toys you’re not sure about, be honest: are they actually being used? If not, pass them to friends, resell the good quality items, or even drop soft toys to an animal shelter. Someone else will use them now instead of them gathering dust in your attic.
6. Keep It Simple
Zip pouches for puzzles and Lego save space (and your sanity). Clear boxes mean you can see what you have and avoid buying doubles. And if kids can reach their own snacks, water bottles, and breakfast bowls, they become more independent—and you get five extra minutes in the morning. Win-win.
The takeaway:
You don’t need to overhaul your whole house to feel organised. Start small. Pick one habit, one drawer, one box at a time. Teach the kids why it matters—not just for tidiness, but because using less, wasting less, and sharing more is better for everyone.
You don’t need to overhaul your whole house to feel organised. Start small. Pick one habit, one drawer, one box at a time. Teach the kids why it matters—not just for tidiness, but because using less, wasting less, and sharing more is better for everyone.