There’s no time like the present to prepare your kids for the holidays! It’s time to get ready for all the gifts that will be coming in by making room and decluttering. 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 tips to prepare your kids for the holidays from the team at Abundance Organizing.
DECLUTTER WITH YOUR KIDS BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS
Go through all your closets, under all the beds, and tackle that playroom. Pulling everything out will give you the perspective you need to identify what your kids need and don’t need. You’ll find duplicates of items, broken items, and items that have gone unused. As a result, you’ll be able to plan for gifts that your kids will receive and properly direct family members on what to put on their holiday shopping list. Don’t forget to 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.
TIPS TO TEACH KIDS TO DONATE
You have many options for how to discard which include the options to donate, consign, or sell through many an online venue. Teach kids how donating to others can be a positive thing; it’s not just getting rid of stuff, 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. Have you heard of the Buy Nothing Project? Another great way to gift someone with items you no longer have use for.
GIVE CLUTTER-FREE GIFTS THIS HOLIDAY
Rethink gift-giving and give clutter-free and eco-friendly gifts. 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, the theater, 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, and spend time together.
WANT, NEED, WEAR, READ
Another strategy for gift giving that some really like is the “Want, Need, Wear, Read”approach. You only give four gifts to your kids: something they want, something they need, something for them to wear, and something to read. This can help simplify not only preparing gifts, but also the amount of stuff that they receive. It also helps you to prepare and be a little more focused on each child to really get into their worlds and find what they are interested in at this stage in their life.
PLAN FOR AFTER THE HOLIDAYS
It’s very likely not everything you receive as a gift during the holidays will be something that 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, too – so you don’t forget.
For more tips to prepare your kids for the holidays, check out our Abundance Declutter Group on Facebook and follow us on Instagram.