The Editing Approach For a Kid’s Room (& Adults Too!)
Today we’re going over my editing approach for a kid’s closet. This method is perfect for the back to school season so you can start the year from an organized space. If you don't have school-aged children, this is a great way to tackle a mini edit for yourself.
We try to do this twice a year. Of course we’re taking out options that no longer fit as we go through the year, but every once in a while it’s important to do a full overhaul. For us this usually looks like before school starts, and then when winter is over.
Editing a kid’s closet looks a little different than it does for adults, and there’s a lot of potential for meltdowns if you’re not careful. Whether you have a child in your life who needs some more organization around their clothes, or if you’d like a simplified version of a closet edit for yourself, this is how I tackle a quick clean out while managing large emotions.
First, take everything out of one space at a time (closet or dresser). Do not make them try everything on. Keep them out of the room until you have a few pieces for them to try. Find 1-2 options in each style that you’re unsure of (1-2 shirts, pants, shoes, jackets, dresses). Kids get very tired of trying on very fast (some adults do too), so limit their try-on to under 10 pieces. Once you have a few pieces in each style that you know fit, you can hold other options up to them so you can tell on your own if they can stay or go.
For us this looks like:
Emptying the closet entirely, starting with dresses (her favorite) then she can play elsewhere while I decide what’s staying and what’s going. Put everything back in the closet, organized.
Have a few bins & containers around (& a trash can) to sort what you’re going through. Donate, too big, next season, and one for the random things you find that you can put away later. Kids are like pack rats and there’s always random toys shoved into drawers & shelves.
When you’re finished, show them where you’ve put things and label bins if that’s helpful for your child. Labeling can also be a great reading exercise. If your child likes to organize, let them help! As my daughter has gotten older, she’s become very interested in organization and likes to help me decide where her options go. This also helps me make sure I’m putting them in places that make sense for her brain.
I keep things organized in a similar way to an adult closet, with a few tweaks that a kid can maintain. Her clothes are organized by item (sweaters, sweatshirts, dresses, etc) but in a color group. So when she goes to put back a pink dress, she just looks for other pink dresses. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but she feels independent & proud of herself when she can keep her things organized. It’s also like a game for her to find the right spot!
Now we move onto the dresser. This is where holding up options that you know fit will come in handy. I only need her to try on 1-2 pairs of pants to know how the rest will go. She comes in after I’ve pulled out my questionable items to try on a few, and we’re done!
Parents do the heavy lifting, kids assist as a model only when needed, and meltdowns are avoided by limiting the try on, letting them take large breaks, and understanding that they’ll get to buy a few new pieces when we’re done.
We ran into a few issues as we edited this year with my almost 8 year old. She had a few dresses that she loves but are too small, and she was really sad to see them go. We always try to repurpose things if she gets nervous about saying goodbye; dresses can become nightgowns, pants that are too short can be turned into shorts. We are trying something new this year with a couple dresses that are fancy and not comfortable enough to be nightgowns, but she was devastated to let them go. Our idea: we’ll be asking Grandma to turn them into doll clothes! This is a great option if you have someone skilled with sewing in your life. This gave her something to look forward to, and we avoided the tears of getting rid of her favorite dress.
If you've been apprehensive to do a full overhaul of your closet, try this low-key approach and let me know how it works for you!