Over the years, I have written a lot about organizing kids' rooms. Recently, I worked with a client to arrange a boy's room. The room was quite a mess, and there wasn't a place for many of the things the boy played with. Boys' rooms are often easier than girls' rooms, but they still need to have a designated place for everything. So, below are some of the ideas we used for organizing a boy's room. Remember, you don't have to spend a long time to organize a bedroom. This organizing session only took us two hours. And if you have help, it may take you even less time.
Organizing Boy's Room Before
As you can see, the toy area was a mess. He had a birthday party, and the kids pulled out EVERYTHING. The boy was so overwhelmed that he didn't know where to start.
This is the before photo of the other side of the room.
"Organize a messy room by starting at the door & working around the room sorting as you go."
~Sabrina Quairoli
First, we began on one side of the room and worked our way around to the other side. It keeps us focused on doing it this way. The trick is to ensure the child cleans up promptly (within a day of the party).
Then we sorted the toys into common groupings. Some of the activities we used were Lego, Duplo, Trains, Trucks, Electronic games, and books. Then, we determined what bins she had that we could use for the NEW toys that were given to her son for his birthday. We also repurposed containers from other areas. And, replaced the smaller bins with larger ones.
The Lego sorting was the next step. We sorted them into two of these bins, but didn't sort by color since her son no longer cared about that. However, I told her that the organization for the Legos may change when he gets older. We placed the games and "rainy day projects" in bins on the shelf in the closet so her younger son wouldn't get to them. There was a stuffed animal bin too.
You can't see it here; he had a large closet, so we created an area for the toys to be stored in the closet. By using this space, he minimized distractions at bedtime and helped keep his room neater. The bins in the closet were on the shelf and the floor. He had primarily used his drawers for clothing, so this unutilized space was perfect. We then labeled all the bins.
In two hours
After just two hours, we created a clean and neat space that will help the son fall asleep quicker and minimize his feeling of being overwhelmed when entering his room. The mom was happy, and so was her son.
Organizing a Boy's Room Reveal
Wow! Right? Clear floors! Woo hoo! We were amazed at how much we accomplished in just two hours. We got rid of 5 bags filled with trash and items to donate. This boy is typical of many kids. They have lots of toys, but nowhere near as many as girls, so the project didn't take long to do. I hope this helps inspire you to organize your son's room.
This type of bin works great for a boy's room. It has space for both books and toys.
Need more information on organizing a kid's room? Since I wrote many posts about youth room organization, I decided to add the posts here. Feel free to click through to the posts that apply to your situation.
Creating Zones in an Organized Child Playroom
Kids Craft Room Organization
How to make a Fabulous Playroom
10 Toy Organizer Ideas
Explaining Needing and Wanting to Kids
5 Games to Help Kids Understand How to Organize
Organized My Kids Closets
Six Steps to Organize Kids Closets
Feel free to share this post with others. Let's continue the conversation. What is your favorite boy's room organization tip? Please leave a comment below.
Ellen Delap says
Impressive! You accomplished so much in 2 hours. With most kids I find there is a lot of trash. A larger than average trash can be a first step, but not the complete answer. Labelling zones in your boy's room also helps. Kids find it useful to know that there are items grouped by use in their rooms.
I know this boy will really enjoy this space now!
Sarah Soboleski says
I love the idea of the "rainy day projects" zone. I often rotate my son's toys so on inclement weather days things seem 'new' and interesting again!
Autumn Leopold says
Great work Sabrina and I love the bonus posts! You have covered this subject well and I can't wait to dive in! I'm hoping to do one big final purge to get Sam's area ready for the new school year.
Sabrina says
Thanks Autumn. Good luck with Sam's room.
Seana Turner says
Wow is the right word, Sabrina! Such an impressive difference. It's true that boys don't have as much as girls, but the fact that you found a lot to donate usually holds for both genders. Most children - like most adults - only play with a few of their toys.
Sabrina says
Good point. The trick is to help them understand that they don't need to keep them.