3 Tips for Organizing Your Play Spaces

By Kathryn Lord

You’re late for the school run, the middle child can’t find their green sports top and you have no idea what to make for tea tonight. What if I said it doesn’t have to be that way?

Organizing with the child in mind can help him to become more independent and make your life easier. I know what it is like. I have been a nanny to multiples for several families over the years. Creating an ‘enabling environment’ as a teacher, we make the classroom make sense to the child, organizing it in such a way that the child can use it without adult support. I transferred this approach to my nanny families’ homes and saw that their play was transformed into purposeful fun and the days of looking for lost toys were over.

If you’re struggling keeping the children’s areas organized, here are some easy tips to quickly transform your play spaces:

Color coordinate. Children know what color their favorite book is even before they are able to read. This prevents the child from pulling EVERYTHING out, but also means the child can visually see where the book gets put away once playtime is over. It also looks really good!

Rotate. You don’t need the zoo and the farm out at the same time. Save time by not having to sort those animals every time the children play. Having too many toys out actually causes overwhelm. By rotating, it reduces the overwhelm but also helps them to play more purposefully. Having the same toys out all the time can lead to boredom.

Height. Have independent play objects reachable and put adult-led activities high up. This prevents getting felt tip all over the walls, but if that does happen, toothpaste, and elbow grease helps!

For more organizational tips, follow Kathryn Lord, author of More to Organising, on Instagram @more_to_organising or head to www.moretobooks.com and click on the Amazon link to buy the her new book or contact her at moretobooks@gmail.com.