There are a handful of issues that naturally come with having kids. One of those is clutter, aka junk, stuff, crap, toys, papers, gadgets, art supplies, trinkets, whatnots, legos, cars, bits, parts, pieces and everything else. You get what I'm saying, though, so here are my three favorite  ways to keep kids clutter at bay.


1. Easy-reach Shelf
Put a small wooden shelf in the kitchen, bedroom and/or nearby area. Choose between 6-8 items, games, activities and puzzles that your child can choose from. Rotate them regularly. Work together to keep items on trays, in boxes, in canisters, etc. Eventually, the kids will put things back themselves if they know to take out one activity at a time. NOTE: if you have a two year old or younger, they love do dump the buckets and baskets (like you don't know that already, I know!!) so be sure to choose items with few pieces.


Here's a pic  (I couldn't get a really good one to load- sorry)from a montessori classroom- this layout works at home...use old trays, bowls, cans, and dishes to display/hold cards, blocks, cars or educational activities like matching, letter sounds, etc.





2. Plastic Drawers
These things run about $20-30 at target/kmart. BUT they are easy to label and keep clean. Buy a few and find clever hiding spots for them such as under counters, in larger cabinets and in closets.

Label

art drawers:

• paper
• art supplies
• crayons
• collage stuff
• etc.

• hats
  
• socks
• gloves
• sports stuff (shin pads, cleats, etc.)

OPTIONS FOR WALL MOUNTED ORGANIZERS
...............................................................................

• Staples sells mesh in boxes in all shapes and sizes. (http://www.staples.com)
• The mesh wall bureau from City Living is more compact than a rail system. (http://www.citylivingstores.com)
• Living Comforts - wooden in boxes have two sections, clear dividers and a key holder. (http://www.livingcomforts.com)
• Ergo's ultra-modern wall mounted system includes a mail sorter and a hanging file folder. (http://www.ergoindemand.com)
• Pottery Barn's stylish daily system offers white boards, calendars, corkboards and file holders that can be mixed and matched. (http://www.potterybarn.com)
• The pocket-strip wall organizer by See Jane Work holds everything from calculators to clipboards. (http://www.seejanework.com)
• The Container Store's silver mesh mail sorter works like an in box. (http://www.containerstore.com)
• Don't limit yourself to office organization products: Organize.com's wall mounted kitchen products can be used for office supplies, as can IKEA's Forjoha cabinets and Bygel cutlery caddy. (http://www.ikea.com)
  

5.  Letterboxes

You can also find these at marshals, tj maxx, etc. These are great for smaller puzzle storage (see labels on outside, so you can stack them!), school work, paperwork, games, activities (stamps, cards, photos, magazine clippings, etc.), and just about anything else you want to keep organized and within reach. There are also larger art storage boxes that hold those pesky puzzles...