Self Help

A child needs adult help doing this. Go through the following list and check items that still need a resting place. Obviously, the two-year-old’s bedroom will not look the same as the seventh grader’s, and the child in a room by himself will have more flexibility than children sharing a room.

Make these suggestions fit your circumstances:

Is there a place to hang clean clothes? Normally, this would be a closet, so is the rod low enough? If you don’t want to alter the closet permanently, hang a broomstick from the higher rod with a chain (or buy a tension pole).

The younger child can pull clean clothes off the hangers, but it is a more advanced skill to put them back on the hanger. At this age, they are usually wearing clothes for one day and then putting them in the laundry, but what about the robe, coats, and sweaters that don’t need washing every time? Perhaps hooks would be best. Some children don’t need a closet because everything they wear can be folded.

Is there a place for out-of-season clothes and clothes not yet grown into? So often, because the child doesn’t need all the closet space for current clothes, we hang the out-of-size and out-of-season clothes in the closet, too, but this can create managing problems. Try storing these extra clothes in sturdy boxes in the top of the closet or some other area such as the laundry room.

Is there a place for shoes and boots? Will their place be under the bed? Is there an unused space at the end of the closet that could be fitted with little shelves?

Is there a place for dirty clothes? You would be surprised how many adults expect children to carry their dirty clothes to a central clothes hamper in the bathroom or downstairs to the wash area every time they undress. Try putting a container like a hamper, large wastebasket, or box decorated with wallpaper conveniently in the room or closet. Putting a lid on the hamper decreases the chances of its use by eighty percent. No lid, please.

Is there a place for folded clean clothes? Usually the child has drawers for clean clothing. What about hats and gloves? Perhaps you could use a dishpan on the closet shelf or hooks by the back door. Some families have a special tradition of putting the pajamas away under the bed pillow or in a zip-up stuffed animal. Help the child remember the system of organization by labeling the shelves and drawers.

Another tip: Make it an annual tradition to clean out the drawers by using wrapping paper from the child’s birthday gifts to line the drawers. The excitement of Christmas can motivate children to clean closets and drawers. “Let’s make room for new gifts. Can we give some of these to a family in need?”