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For instance, you might have a
sewing center, kitchen cooking zone or home office area for the adults. That's a
small area of your home, versus a whole room, that you've assigned to a special
interest. In that zone or work center you keep and do everything applied to that
activity such as sewing or paying bills.
Just apply this zone technique to your kids' rooms. And let them help create
these toy zones or play centers with your guidance and input. Make it fun to
organize, without using the word "organize"! That way each center meets the
kids' needs and they get some say in an area they'll be using (or as adults like
to call it in the business world ---"buy in" by the user). Ultimately, your home
will be more organized. It's a win-win situation for all involved. Try it and
see if it works for your home situation. Here are some ideas for creating kids'
toy storage zones:
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LIBRARY - This is the reading, writing and drawing room. A spot by a window
where natural light shines in is good, but not necessary. You only need a few
feet of space for two plastic kid-size chairs (or
bean bag chairs), a tiny
plastic writing table and a reading lamp.
Heart Table and Chair Set for Children
sold by Stacks and Stacks
Use a low horizontal two-shelf book case to keep books within your children's
reach. Or use a three-drawer plastic cart on casters, a colorful milk/storage
crate or any other suitable item to contain books neatly but keep them
convenient to access. If the library is next to a wall, mount a cork board for
hanging kid-created art work. |
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CRAFT ZONE - Does your child paint, do bead work, mold clay, color, etc. Then
they need a craft zone. A simple four-foot plastic rectangular table is
sufficient for your budding Picasso. Try looking for this in an office supply
store or in the office, lawn and garden or other sections in discount retailers,
even drug stores that sell odds and ends.
Use one or two three- or four-drawer carts on casters that roll under the height
of the table when not in use. Store all of the craft supplies in the cart
drawers. It's okay if this table gets scratched or paint drips on it. That's
expected in a craft area. This is where your child creates his or her
masterpieces. Add a child size stool.
Get a short, table-top easel too for holding paintings. Also, instead of an
ordinary plastic table, you might consider a drafting table (like architects or
other designers use); these adjust so you can have a flat table one day and a
tilted table the next day. Check an art store or office supply store for
examples of drafting tables so you know what you're looking for.
Art Master Activity Desk for Kids
 sold
by Stacks and Stacks |
MUSIC CENTER - If your child likes to dance and
play music (as in CDs, not musical instruments), she'll need a music room.
She'll need some dancing room too so keep any seating flexible enough to
toss aside on a moment's notice like a bean bag or inflatable chair.
A slim vertical one-column CD rack that's wall-mountable should hold the
tunes adequately. Mount a single wood or plastic shelf at child height on
the wall next to that for holding a portable CD player or headset, boombox,
radio, etc. Unless you keep her freshly supplied with batteries, you may
want to make sure the shelf is mounted near a wall socket. And of course
she'll need another cork board mounted on the wall to hold clippings and
posters of her favorite musical stars. |
PARKING ZONE - The parking zone can be in the garage. This is where all the
scooters, bicycles and other ride-on toys get parked. If you don't have a
garage, you may have to designate a corner somewhere in your home. Use masking
tape to outline the official "parking spaces" for each child and each riding
item. If you like, you can outline all the zones with tape or other creative
border materials.
Use the zone or center concept in other toy storage areas where you need to
organize your kids, such as creating a board game playing zone, a jigsaw puzzle
area, or even a study/homework center and wardrobe zone. The centers give your
kids their own house full of individual rooms within your home. They get to play
house and you get an organized home. Even when the kids leave their stuff in
plain sight, if it's in their zones, it still looks neat and organized (and
nobody trips over it). Try it! |
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