How to Organize Your Kid’s Closet

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Learn how to organize all of your kids’ toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally organize your kid’s closet!

Hello, friends and Happy New Year!! I hope y’all had a wonderful holiday season filled with family, joy, and fun!  I know we are all exhausted and ready to head back into the routine of our normal daily lives.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

I’m not really one for setting resolutions with the New Year mostly because I don’t ever actually keep them.  But, one thing I do like to do each New Year is try to get a little more organized.  Since I’m maybe one of the most disorganized people around, taking baby steps each year can really help.

We can’t ever seem to get out of the mess that is kid’s stuff.  Whether that be toys, books, clothes, random little figurines or little pieces of whatever that we have no idea where it came from, there’s always something lying around on the floor.

When we embarked on our first One Room Challenge this past fall to renovate our sweet little’s boy’s room into a Shared Boys Bedroom, organizing all the kid junk stuff was a top priority.

The room has TWO closets, which is seriously amazing.  Here is what we started with.

Closet 1:

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

Closet 2:

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

Pretty horrid, right??  And, that doesn’t account for the plethora of random toys and books strewn all over the floor and piled into various bins.  Needless to say we never knew where anything was.

How To Organize Kids’ Closets for Good

I’m going to share how we made the shelving for Closet 2 in another post.  But, I wanted to share here all about how I organized my kids’ closets once and for all.  Seriously, the room is still clean to this day.

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First:  Go through toys/clothes/books/random trinkets.

This may be the most obvious, yet also the most important step.  It took me at least a week to fully go through everything we had.  I matched every single sock, looked at every book and sorted through ALL the toys.

The solo socks were thrown away.  Books that were SO damaged we threw away (I’m talking ripped pages, pages glued together with jelly or missing half the book).  Others that were used but not totally destroyed we moved downstairs or kept for their room.  I took out ALL of their clothes and put anything that didn’t fit them away in bins.

Lastly, the toys.  All the baby toys were boxed up.  And, any toys they didn’t play with were donated.

Next, group toys together.

I’m a boy mom, so I’m mostly speaking from that perspective here (though this relates to any toys).

First, those puzzles.  Gosh, I have a love/hate relationship with them.  Love to do the puzzles with the kids, HAAATTEEE trying to find all the pieces everywhere.  Until, I discovered these random athletic bags that perfectly double as puzzle storage.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

Next, we had a TON of trucks, trains, matchbox cars, Legos, action figures, and wooden cars/trucks.  They all needed to have a spot.  When something doesn’t have a spot, it ends up on the floor.

We picked up this storage unit from IKEA that was perfect for storing the loose toys.

We put all the action figures in the bottom bin.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

The second bin contained trucks and cars.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

The last bin on top held all the puzzles in those athletic mesh bags.

Legos went in a Lego bin.  Big trucks had a bin.  Etc, Etc.  Everything had a place.

Last, give all the bins and boxes a place in the closet.

The first closet now looks like this:

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

All the clutter is gone.  We used two baskets from IKEA to store hoodies/sweatshirts and some cute chalkboard labels, because, why not?!

We kept the workbench in the closet and the kids can pull it out whenever they need.  The previously mentioned IKEA storage unit fits perfectly on the other side of the closet.  And I got color coordinated hangers for each boy.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!
Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!
Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

The second closet now looks like this!

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

On the very bottom, we put the blocks, Legos and big trucks.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

How We Organized the Closet Shelves

Here are how the shelves are organized. Do what makes sense for your things and what you own.

First Shelf: Toy Cars and Trucks

The first shelf is for the wooden cars/trucks and their parking garage and all the matchbox cars and track pieces.  These plastic storage bins from IKEA are perfect for all the littles pieces.  They’re sturdy enough to hold everything but light enough that they can easily be pulled off the shelf for playing.  Plus, I added some DIY pallet signs just for a little farmhouse style mixed in.

Second Shelf: Smaller Toys

The second shelf was for smaller toys that were really only for my older son (though there are some for both).  They’re high enough up that my youngest can’t reach them.

We used these cute boxes and bags to store little pieces that go together in a set.  That way, we aren’t scrambling around trying to find that one little piece you can never find.  It’s so nice to have everything in its place.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

Third Shelf: Extra Storage

The next shelf is more for storage.  I have 3 bins here.  The first is for shoes, which is pretty self-explanatory.  The second is for seasonal which would be swim trunks/goggles in the summer and snowsuit in the winter, etc.  And the third bin is for Halloween because we have entirely too many costumes that I can’t EVER find.  Ever.

Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

Top Shelf: Home Items

The last shelf I have a few miscellaneous items.  Extra towels and blankets.  Diapers and wipes.  Tidmouth sheds (that big train thing if your kids aren’t into Thomas the Tank Engine).  This shelf is the only one I may change but for right now it’s completely functional.

Ahh just one more look at the whole closet.
Learn how to organize all of your kids' toys and clothes with a few simple storage solutions. Finally learn how to organize your kid's closet!

The best part of this whole closet makeover?  I don’t have to store their toys anywhere IN their room (except the trains which are in a bin next to their bed).  When I tell them to put the matchbox cars away, they know where to put them.  If I say, go grab the Lego bin, they know exactly where it is.

It’s seriously a game changer.

I hope y’all were able to get some tips and tricks for organizing your own kids’ closets!  Even if you don’t have two closets like this, going through and organizing what you can will make SUCH a difference.  Now, if only I can use these methods everywhere in my house….

More Bedroom Makeover Inspiration

If you’re interested, here are a few more posts about our recent boys’ bedroom makeover:

how-to-install-cement-tile-5

How To Install Cement Tile

one-room-challenge-week-1-1

ORC Week 1: The Before Photos

ORC Week 2: Shared Boys Bedroom Inspiration & Design Plan

Until next month,

Wishing you a joyful day!

What’s Next?

While you’re here, be sure to check out other home organization ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –

Originally published January 2017. Updated January 2018.

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One Comment

  1. Amazing blog! such a clever to to organize kids messy zone. Every mom really inspire to know this how to organize kids room, because they have spend most of the time to organize kids room. Thanks for such a nice blog.

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