My daughter's room was a disaster zone. The floor was covered in legos, magnatiles, stuffed animals, dolls, clothes, puzzles, games, and a bunch of other random collections you only ever find in kids' rooms.

You couldn't walk through without stepping on toys and clothes and who-knows-what. And after asking her for days to clean it up, and being met with constant refusal, I knew something had to change.

When my daughter's room gets this bad, it's usually a sign that we need to do a little more than just clean. When there's too much stuff to handle, that's a good sign it's time to declutter.

Of course decluttering a child's room takes a bit of understanding and patience.

I want to involve her as much as possible so that she learns how to sort through her things and make decisions about what she truly needs and loves and the things she doesn't.

This is an important life skill that's not often taught. But it should be!

One of the ways I've been doing this is by using my Decluttering Cards.​

I chose the ones that are relevant to her and the things she has in her room, such as toys, stuffed animals, puzzles, books, clothes, etc.

And then each day she picks a new one. We make a game out of it, and I fan them out and she chooses one at random.

It's always a fun surprise for her to see what she got. Since each card has a colorful icon, she can easily tell what she needs to focus on that day.

And each day I help her sort through the items that are on the Decluttering Card she chose. Some things she is more than ready to part with, such as clothes she's outgrown and old books.

Other things, she doesn't want to let go, and that's completely fine. I support her decisions about her things, as I'd never want her to get rid of something she truly loves.

(This is the same decluttering advice I give to YOU, too! I never want you to get rid of something you truly love.)

By doing this, she's learning to have a healthy relationship with "stuff." One that's not overwhelmed by too much, but also one that doesn't fear getting rid of things.

And as we work through each of the items, I can tell it's having a positive impact on her and her room. There's much less stuff for her to clean up, and she can do it easily and without a lot of resistance.

It's so important for kids to learn to take responsibility for their things! But they can't do it if there's too much stuff for them to handle.

By planting those seeds at a young age, we're setting up kids for a life-long healthy relationship with "stuff." And that's truly one of the greatest gifts we can give them.

I hope this gives you some ideas if you have young children of your own. Or even not-so-young children. It's never too late to start!

This week, you can grab my Decluttering Cards for over 50% off! They're just $14 $6 through Friday!

They're so helpful for getting the whole family involved in decluttering. They turn decluttering into a fun challenge, making it seem more like a game than a chore.

And that's really the best thing you can ask for!

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PS: Help your kids and family members easily make daily decluttering progress with these colorful Decluttering Cards. They're just $6 through Friday!

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CREATE THE CLUTTER-FREE HOME YOU'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF

Life is too short to waste it dealing with chaos and clutter. Browse my shop and website for resources designed to help you tackle your clutter and get it out of your home for good.

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