How To Get Kids To Declutter Before Christmas

We all know Christmas is looming and for those of us with kids that means there is likely to be an influx of presents making their way to our address around 25th December. But where the hell are we going to put it all???

Now is the perfect time to get your kids on a decluttering mission to make space for the Barbie house, lifesize Quidditch broomstick or a 48 pieces Brio train set and hopefully get them to understand how fortunate they are all in one go. Use my six stage process to get that clutter out of the house before St Nick brings it all back in again!

Stage 1 - Lead By Example

Do as I say, not as I do isn’t going to cut it here.  You need to lead by example and declutter some of your items too. Maybe have a look through your wardrobe and get rid of the clothes you haven’t worn in a while. If you’ve just bought a new winter coat, donate your old one to your local soup kitchen or night shelter. Get your husband to chuck out the walking boots he hasn’t ever worn whilst you’re at it! Have a look on your bookshelves and in your cabinets and see what you could do without that will give you more space.

Make sure your children spot you doing this thought. There’s no magic decluttering fairies here! We want them to see that Mum and Dad declutter, so they can too. Taking them to your donation point of choice is a great idea too.

Stage 2 - Write Their List To Father Christmas

If you know what your children would really like (and you’re able to get it for them) then you instantly have an incentive you can use. If it’s a train set, they will need floor space. If it’s craft sets, they’ll need a clear space on their desk and a drawer or shelf to keep it in/on. If it’s clothes, they will need space in their wardrobe, if it’s a Nerf gun then say no...I jest...but they will need a lot of space in their room to play with their friends.

See what I’m doing...find the incentive.

Stage 3 - Guilt Them Into Getting Rid Of Things.

Ok, well maybe not guilt, but using your negotiating tools here will help. 

If you use an Elf on the Shelf during advent, giving a bag or two of toys to a children’s charity may be a great task for him to set early in the month. 

Your local school, community centre or hospital may be doing a toy collection for your community so ask around and suggest your child helps you find some toys that other children, who are less fortunate than them, might like.

If they are older you could task them with finding out more about a specific charity or two and deciding where they’d like to donate their items to.

And last but definitely not least, they could try and sell their items if they’re looking for ways to boost their pocket money or to help buy your present with - wink wink, nudge nudge. 

Stage 4 - Break The Task Down

Kids have a very short attention span - think goldfish. Especially when it may be a task they don’t really want to do, so break the decluttering task down into short snippets or categories to make it easier for them.

“15 minutes to find as many things as you can” may seem overwhelming to a 7 year old so make sure you are working with them and giving them clear instructions that can’t be interpreted in any other way.

Some ways of keeping kids interested in decluttering are:

• Put on their favourite song and find five things to donate in that time. Repeat until fade.

• Get them to look through their books and find ten books they won’t read again. Then move to a different area. Keep it short and sweet - 10 minutes per space max. Or do one area each day for a week.

• Find a box and tell them they can fill this box with all their cuddly toys they want to keep - any left can go to the charity shop. Obviously don’t be stingy with this. If they’re a cuddly toy lover, give them a big box so they only have to make the decision to cull 4 or 5. This isn’t supposed to be a punishment, so think this one through carefully first.

Questions you can ask whilst they are trying to cull their items are:

• Does it still fit?

• When did you last play with it?

• Do you still enjoy playing with it?

• Has it still got all its pieces? (if the answer is no then that usually has to be a bin, not donate item - sorry!)

• How many of them do you have? Do you need that many?
  

If you don’t want to get into arguments with your mini-me because it will ruin your festive vibe then take their answer as writ. If they NEED 1,000,000 fidgets who are you to say anything different? Just have another mince pie or glass of Baileys and move on to the next item or area.

Stage 5 - Get Them Out

Nope, sadly not the kids, I mean the items they have chosen to get rid of. I always try to take my daughter with me to gift her donations to our local charity shop. The staff are always incredibly kind and it is a great way of highlighting that they’ve done something good. If you’re dropping off clothes at a clothes bank get them to chuck the bags in the bins as a way of finishing the task. 

Try and remove the decluttered items from your house as soon as possible after they’ve made the decision to get rid of them or you may find that toys start to slowly sneak their way back into their bedroom when they think you’re not looking!

Stage 6 - Reward!

Decluttering can be tricky for even the most grown-up of us! Lots of things hold memories, especially when we’re younger and getting rid of those can be hard, so heading for a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows after dropping off the items or even just telling them how proud you are of them will go a long way in keeping the clutter at bay...well at least until Christmas Eve anyway. 

But then you can repeat the whole process again for many birthdays and Christmases to come!

Good luck! 

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