DECLUTTER WITH YOUR KIDS BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS
There’s no time like the present to prepare your kids for the holidays with these organizing tips! It is time to get ready for all the gifts that will be coming in by making room and decluttering. Kids’ rooms, closets, and playrooms require focused attention.
It’s a great time to teach quality gift-giving instead of quantity gift-giving. We all get so overwhelmed throughout the year with the “stuff” in our homes. As professional organizers, we see the strain “stuff” puts on families every day. Here are some suggestions on ways to be mindful this holiday season from the team at Abundance Organizing.
TEACH KIDS TO DONATE 
Teach kids how positive donating to others can be. Help them understand it is not just getting rid of stuff. Instead, it’s an opportunity to give to others. Teach them about the organizations that matter to you, how their donated items get used, and how their donations can enhance someone else’s life. Go the extra mile and visit the organizations with your children so they can see firsthand how they can make a difference.
PLAN FOR GIFTS YOU’LL RECEIVE
Declutter and organize NOW. It’s easy to gaze over stuff as it sits around the house. Go through all your closets, under all the beds, and tackle the playroom. Pulling everything out will give you the perspective you need to identify what kids need and don’t need. You’ll find duplicates of things, broken items, and items that have gone unused. As a result, you’ll be able to properly direct family members on what to put on their holiday shopping list. 
Go through clothes with your kids. We all know how fast kids grow. Confirm their clothing and shoe sizes and get rid of everything that no longer fits.
GIVE CLUTTER-FREE
Rethink gift-giving and give clutter-free. There are a lot of wonderful ways to give and not create clutter! Think of experiences that would promote spending time together and create exciting, loving memories. Here are just a few ideas:
- Tickets or season passes to adventure parks like Busch Gardens or Great Wolf Lodge.
- Gift cards to places like Jumpology, Go Ape, or Top Golf.
- Tickets to sports events, concerts, theatre, etc.
- Memberships or tickets to the local zoo, The Children’s Museum, or the local science museum.
- Arrangements to take cooking classes, dance classes, drawing classes, and more.
You can also create experiences during the gift-giving process. Consumables are clutter-free gifts too. Start baking with your kids and make amazing treats and baked goods for loved ones for your kids to give. It’s a total win-win when you can have fun with the kids, create great memories, spend time together and give clutter-free.
PLAN FOR AFTER THE HOLIDAYS
It’s very likely not everything you receive will be something you love. Schedule a day now to make returns and drop donations to ensure unwanted items don’t linger in your home. Mark it on your calendar so you won’t forget.
MORE INSPIRATION
We just finished a 30 Day Declutter Challenge at Abundance Organizing. For more inspiration check out the Abundance Declutter Group on Facebook and follow us on Instagram as we provide tips for getting prepared for the holidays.
Great tips on keeping an organized and less-cluttered holiday! Planning for gifts received is a great idea!