It is summer vacation and the kids are home from school. Now may be the perfect time to do some serious decluttering and organizing with them. Note the reference with them, not sending them to their rooms to do it alone.

One thing we know is that children grow in and out of toys and “stuff” quickly. That means it is good to go through their rooms and play areas frequently not only to move out the old but to discover what they haven’t seen for a while. If you don’t move toys around, they get stale and kids may get bored with what they have. Parents usually have some toys or crafts stashed away.

A good way to start the process of decluttering and organizing their rooms is to use the bed as an area to put everything. If the room is large enough, you may want to use a card table instead. If the room is really cluttered, you may want to start by taking everything off the floor and putting it on the bed or table. Your child can definitely help with this, and together you can make a big difference in how the room looks just by doing this. Before you start, have a garbage bag, a donate box, and a box for things that go to other areas in the house ready for sorting. Never leave the room to put things away. Once you have the floor cleared, start sorting it all out.

When that is done, you can start on other areas like emptying a closet shelf, hanging clothes, or a drawer. Even if you think everything will stay, empty it out and go through it. Just moving things around in a room freshens it up.

You can tell when your child is getting distracted or losing interest. Be sure to finish taking care of the boxes you’ve started until the next time you continue the process. It is important not to leave a mess. Pick up the table and clean off the bed even if you are continuing the next day.

While you are sorting, make sure you put like things together. For example, all the Barbie dolls and accessories or all the Legos should be together so they are easy to grab and play with.

There may be stuff your child has outgrown but you as a parent want to keep. If possible, store these things out of their room so what is left is what they choose to keep and makes their room their own.

Make it a fun experience, listening to their stories about their “stuff.” They may reminisce about family vacations or experiences they have had. Don’t make them get rid of the “stuff” you think they don’t want. You may have to take some things away when they are not around if they are the ones that keep literally everything. Or, you might say, “Which five stuffed animals do you want to keep?”

Remember to:

¯ Take everything off a shelf or drawer or desk area;

¯ Only put back what you use;

¯ Sort by garbage, donation, keep, put somewhere else in the house;

¯ Clean up everything each day;

¯ Praise the work they have done;

¯ Encourage them to keep it clean.

As you are cleaning out kids’ areas, think about donating clothes, shoes, and toys to Children’s Closet and Baby Pantry on Lockwood Street to help needy families. This is a good way to teach children about giving to others.

Doris Puls, of D & O Decluttering and Organizing, is a professional organizer whose mission is to make a difference in the lives of the people she works with in homes and businesses. Contact her at organizealpena@gmail.com or at 989-356-9545.