Organizing bedroom closets for toddlers and elementary school children can be a challenge because most closets were designed for the average adult. To encourage your children to participate in selecting and putting away their clothing on a regular basis, you need to have a closet that works well for them. Here are some of my tips for organizing clothing closets for children:
Look at it from their perspective
Kneel or crouch down so you are at the same height as the child. Take a look at what you can see, how high you can reach, and what you can put away at that height. This is the prime real estate area of the closet for your child, put the clothing and shoes they use most in this area.
Determine if your child likes to use hangers or fold clothing
Sometimes, the act of putting clothing on an hanger is too difficult for a child, or it just doesn’t suit their personal style. If this is the case, consider using shelves or drawers in the closet, instead of hanging rods.
Lower the closet rods, or add a second lower hanging rod
If your child wants to hang up clothing, lower the closet rod, or add an adjustable hanging closet rod like this to double or triple hanging space.
Use hanging fabric closet organizer shelves
These hanging shelves help to keep clothes within reach, and are great for holding folded sweaters or sweatshirts.
This one with the days of the week on it is perfect if you’re in the habit of choosing a week’s worth of clothes at once:
This one has separated compartments and some drawers in it for smaller items:
Separate clothing by purpose
When laying out the clothes, separate clothing into different sections for school clothes, play clothes and formal clothes. This will make it easier to select and put away clothing.
Determine what should be stored in the closet
Decide if this closet is for clothing only, or if it will store toys and games as well. It is very easy for closets to become cluttered if too much is being stored inside. If you do this, designate one side or section for clothing and the other for toys and games.
Have your child help choose the storage products
Involve your child in the selection of storage products. If they choose a hamper or drawer in a color or style they like, they will be more likely to use the it.
Label
Add labels to shelving, drawers and containers. You can also take photos or use print pictures of items to visually label things for children who cannot yet read.
Use color coding
Color coding is especially helpful if you have children sharing a closet. For example, one child could have their clothing on red hangers, while the other’s clothing is on blue hangers.
Use low hanging hooks
If there’s space, place low hanging hooks on the walls or doors to hold things like school bags, hats, or bathrobes.
Add shelf dividers
If your closet has shelving, use shelf dividers to prevent piles from toppling over into one other.
Place a step stool nearby
I suggest placing less frequently used items on the higher closet rod and shelves, and having a step stool by the closet will make it easier for your child to reach most of their things without help.
Put a laundry hamper near the closet
Placing a laundry hamper or laundry basket near the closet will help prevent piles of clothing from piling on the floor.
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Having a stool in the closet is a great idea. I love the collapsible ones like you pictured. They are handy for the “height challenged” adult as well:) I find that smaller children typically use the lower regions of their closet to store more toys than clothes. As they get older, and the toys begin to thin out, clothing takes over. I remind parents that function is key with children. Underwear doesn’t really need to be folded, just clean. A couple of bins might do the trick… and definitely hooks!
I’m glad you like those collapsible stools! You’re right, function is the key with children. Thanks for commenting!
I really like adding the hanging bar to make a second bar in the closet. Helping children to take part in picking their clothes and hanging them back up by themselves at a young age sets good habits for when they are older. I think it helps to avoid clothing being left on the floor at older ages because the habit of taking care of your clothes was established so young.
Yes, those hanging bars are great to make it easy for children to get in the habit of hanging up their clothes. Thank you for commenting!
Step stools work really well in our walk-in closets. Bins work best for my kids. I don’t spend a lot of time matching socks. So, we buy the same brand type, and color of socks so my son doesn’t have to match them together. Girls are a different story. My daughter doesn’t mind shuffling through her socks and match them that day. Since her socks are colorful, she can easily find the matching one.
That’s a great tip about buying the same type of sock for your son. It really makes things easy! Thanks for commenting!
As someone that is short in stature, the idea of lowering yourself to see what your child sees is such a great idea. The heights of things are a normal concern of mine when I’m helping others to organize their spaces, especially when they are short (adults and kids.) Your suggestion of having a stool handy is helpful too.
Thanks, yes keeping height in mind is so important when organizing a space! I’m glad you like my suggestions. Thanks for commenting!
Great idea to get down on their level. Never thought of that. Customizing a closet for a child can be inexpensive. The products you discussed can be purchased cheap and reused if the child doesn’t need them later when they are grown.
I’m glad you like the idea of getting down to the child’s level. Yes, most of the products can be reused or repurposed as the child grows. Thanks for commenting!
So many great ideas! I will need to peek at my grandchildren’s closets to see how they’ve been set up! ;)
Thank you! Maybe your grandchildren’s closets can benefit from some of these products or tips. Thanks for commenting!