Decluttering Clothing With Your Kids Successfully: Focus On These 3 Things
If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to declutter clothing with your kids, you’re in the right place. As I write this, I’m thinking about reading several of the Junie B. Jones books in which she comments about getting into a “tussle” with her mom over things they’re not seeing eye to eye on. Based on many conversations I have with my community, family, friends and clients, this idea of a “tussle” often rings true when we think about corralling our kids to declutter clothing with us, the parents, the mamas.
If you’re interested in a different path where we mostly avoid these “tussles”…keep reading! We’ll focus on 3 key things to help you and your kids declutter clothing intentionally, without the overwhelm, with specific strategies that work.
1. MAKE THE PROCESS SMALL + SIMPLE.
So what do I mean by this? Here’s a few examples on how to do this.
go through clothing one category at a time - shoes, jackets, underwear, socks, t-shirts, dresses, etc.
review clothing one drawer at a time (not the entire credenza, unless you all have the steam for it)
pick small zone of clothing to declutter, like one small section in the closet.
set a timer for 10 minutes and focus on one area, category or pile of items only.
have your kids pick a clothing category or 2 of their choice (like shoes and shorts for example).
make it into a game your kids can control to review clothing categories - have your kids write down categories of clothing that need to be reviewed on small piece of paper and toss them in a bowl (like jackets, bags, socks, t-shirts, etc.). Have them pick a category one at a time and take turns who gets to pick! Go through as many as you can and come back to the rest when you have time.
Bonus points and improved results when you combine some of these strategies! But keep it small, keep it simple, don’t look at the entire closet all at once and overwhelm your brain with too many decisions.
2. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU’RE SEEING THEM NOT WEAR TO DECLUTTER, NOT WHAT THEY ARE.
Too often I see families trying to dive into an entire dresser of clothing or an entire clothing closet to declutter, when in reality, over 50% (or more) is actively being worn, used and enjoyed - these do not need to be assessed.
Once I discovered this observation, it completely changed the way I declutter clothing (and honestly everything in my home) from that point on.
DO NOT FOCUS ON DECLUTTERING ITEMS YOUR KIDS ARE USING, WEARING AND ENJOYING (can you tell I’m passionate about this…I promise I’m not yelling)! There’s no point in spending energy on this!
Focus on the dresses they never wear, the boots sitting and collecting dust in their closet, the jacket they avoided all winter, the hair bows they aren’t into anymore.
And oh by the way, the reason why we must check back in on clothing monthly or seasonally (see more details on this below) is because what’s actively being worn (and what actually fits) changes over time. We must expect these shifts and expect to check back in on what’s being worn to better respond to our kids current needs, just like we do for our own needs.
3. CREATE A LANDING SPOT FOR OUTGROWN CLOTHING.
You’ll want to do this as a family and everyone should know where it is. It can be a tote bag in the hallway, it can be a box on the floor in the coat closet, it can be a basket in the garage. But make sure everyone knows that it’s there, and what should go inside of it.
How to use this landing spot for clothing that needs to leave the house:
Show some examples to your kids of what might go in this landing spot - like shoes they have outgrown/are too tight / a shirt that is now to short on them or too tight on their shoulders, jeans that feel too tight and are no longer comfortable.
Allow clothing items they’ve fallen out of love to land here as well - just note that sometimes items that they’re simply not wearing anymore because they don’t enjoy it is a good enough reason to have it leave the home. We want to have things around us that we enjoy and are being actively used (this is the ultimate goal). This can include accessories, bags, shoes, outerwear, anything they wear on their body can be removed as needed.
Check in on this spot once a month. Aim to donate/remove these items monthly (or more frequently) if possible. Ideally we chat with our kids about what they’ve outgrown or fallen out of love with to see what needs to be replaces (or not replaced - even more important). Reviewing what’s in this donation spot is an opportunity to discuss and connect with your kids on needs, wants and what they enjoy.
