Updated: May 5, 2023
My kids’ closet ideas for organization are designed to keep little one’s clothes, toys and “all the things” organized but looking pretty! This post will give you ideas for easy clean up for the child, while also keeping certain items out of little one’s hands while they grow.
I was thrilled to see kids’ walk in closets with wood shelving in all the bedrooms in our new home! This was an upgrade from our previous house. I knew from experience that the walk in closets would pay off as my kids grew!
I also knew that if I didn’t stay on top of them, the closets would look like this:
And those drawers that were suppose to be so helpful?
Camille’s closet is a very nice size, but we are relying on the space for more than just her clothes. It’s also her bookshelves, storage for hand me downs from siblings, off season items, and extra decor for her to use later on. Like most kids, she just accumulates a lot of stuff.
Overall Kid-Savvy Storage Tips
Creating a neat and organized closet for kids may seem like a daunting task, but with the right storage systems in place, you can keep your children’s closets tidy.
To begin, get rid of wire shelves! Invest in:
- Large plastic containers for out of season clothes or hand me downs (the tubs we LOVE, great quality and clear)
- Wood / wood look alike shelving systems (this shelf system is narrow and fit in closets)
- Baskets or boxes lined with fabric. This makes it easy for kids to store items and prevent small objects from slipping through the wire grid
Label each container or shelf with a simple description of its contents (t-shirts, winter clothes, size 6 clothing,etc.). Picking outfits and putting clean clothes away is quick when everything has a labeled home. Our label maker, or an affordable label maker that prints from your phone in seconds are what I recommend!
Use a basket to create a designated spot where misplaced items go until they are returned to their proper place; that way, your child knows where to look first when an item goes missing. By putting organizational practices into place early on, you instill healthy habits for a lifetime!
Quick Tips To Maximize a Small Closet
Maximizing a small closet is a real challenge, so getting creative and using space effectively is key:
- A container like this is GREAT for small toys! Barbies and Barbie clothes, play food, etc.
- Utilize the back of the door to store shoes, hats, or stuffed animals. I love cute baskets on hooks low enough for a child to reach.
- A No Drill Hat Hook system works as fun decor and storage
- Reserve the hard to reach space for items that aren’t accessed often – put these items on the top of shelves.
- Cute hooks double as decor while providing hanging space on the wall and maximize what was previously deemed ‘dead’ space.
- Install floating shelves to add extra storage and organization and keep clutter off the floor
Kids Closet Ideas That Work Well And Will Beautify Their Space
Our goal here was to use items from the Brightroom collection (from Target!) to keep my kids’ closets organized. I’m sharing how we took their storage solutions and made her closet more efficient – and a lot prettier too! Take a peek at their new Brightroom collection: good looking and clever storage solutions for busy people. I’m hoping this makes our school mornings run more efficiently as well.
Clear Storage You Can See
Think carefully about how many clear containers to use. They are ideal for contained storage of items you want to keep in sight and easy to grab. But you don’t want to use them for the items you don’t want your child accessing. I only used two.
I put the chapter books she’s not quite ready to read on her own yet in a clear narrow box, instead of mixed in with her regular favorites, so that she knows these are the ones she can ask me to read.
In the larger open front acrylic box I put her purse collection. A lady needs options she can see!
Shoe Storage
Shoes are a big one. We allow our kids to keep two pairs of shoes each in our mudroom (the shoes worn most frequently) – and the rest are stored in their closets.
I would recommend using the shoes you don’t want your child to see or use currently in closed, lidded containers.
These rectangular lidded fabric boxes are made just for shoes – brilliant! They would fit a pair or two of adult shoes, but are the ideal size to collect multiple sets for a child.
Do your kids have off season shoes all over? They pull them out to play dress up and you can’t keep them straight! In one box we put in her summer sandals – since its currently winter she doesn’t need them out. The box held all 4 pairs. In the other box I tossed in shoes her older sister passed down that won’t fit Camille for a few years. Since we want to keep them in good shape, I want them kept out of her sight.
I also liked these options for extra shoes you want to keep within reach:
Kids Closet Ideas For Ample Clothing Storage
Clothing is usually the biggest issue when looking for kids’ closet ideas for organization! It’s a major organization issue for us too.
As the youngest of four, Camille has many hand me downs that are either the wrong season or size. The drawers are too accessible (you don’t want your child able to reach clothes she doesn’t need), and the baskets I use are overflowing with no tops to keep the clothes from piling up.
Brightroom makes lidded under the bed storage boxes that hold a LOT. I bought three to put up high, out of her reach! One for her off season clothes, and one for hand me downs she doesn’t fit in yet, folded up nice and neat. In the third box I folded up her drapery. Hopefully I can get her drapes up soon, but for now they’re neatly tucked away!
These under the bed storage boxes are large; once the clothes are folded up they hold quite a bit.
I love designing and organizing kids’ spaces, they can be such happy rooms! Don’t miss my Kids’ Playroom Tour here.
What’s In The Built In Drawers?
If your child will have access to drawers, use them for items they are allowed to access daily. In our case – her clothes.
Brightroom makes smart little drawer organizers – I am using these in my own dresser as well! They are firm and hard – no flimsy.
Since dresses are hanging in her closet, it made sense to use the drawer organizers for neatly rolled up winter tights. This also helps her understand that these aren’t pants, since she sometimes will come down dressed in a shirt with tights. These boxes would work well for belts and bow ties for a little boy!
We freed up space from her actual dresser by keeping pajamas in the drawer organizers as well. I love the size of the boxes! These would work great for rolled up socks and underwear inside a dresser.
Click here to see more about the drawer organizers:
I love a closet with a mix of open shelving and drawers. Drawers give the closet a nice finished look! But concealed space in a kids’ closet doesn’t necessarily have to be for clothing. Drawers are useful for collecting all their toys and make for easy clean up that the child can do herself! If you have a baby, the drawers are essential for diaper storage or baby blankets.
Toys or Art Supplies
Brightroom makes several versions of these utility carts that are a neat little tool for organizing. Small and wide carts!
Utility carts work for a nightstand, a bookshelf, or all kinds of toy storage. Camille needed a place to house all the art supplies that I allow her to have in her room. She loves to sit in her room and color – but then the paper and pens are left all over the floor or stacked up on a table!
She loves the idea of being able to roll this little cart out, and I love that she can clean up her art supplies by herself. The wheels are soft on our hardwood floors.
Unsolicited parenting tip: only allow use of washable art supplies until at least middle school. Everything else gets hidden!
Get Your Kids Involved!
Organizing closets can be daunting, but involving kids in the process can make it enjoyable and successful. By giving children an active role in the project, you are helping to create positive habits that will carry over into their future.
Begin by introducing organizing principles to kids in terms they can understand. Allow them to play a part in deciding how to best sort their items and store them away. Help your kids select dividers that provide visual cues as the order is established. Depending on the age of your children, they may readily help you declutter the closet or may need additional guidance on how best to approach the task.
Working with older children affords them even greater opportunities for involvement and collaboration. Introduce age-appropriate projects such as designing labels or choosing colors or styles for the space. Doing so will foster their creativity while teaching them fundamental concepts of organization. Utilizing these ideas will bring renewed motivation for adults and children alike, leading to bigger successes when organizing spaces around the house!
Next Steps After Organizing
Evaluate What Isn’t Working
The closet is an important part of our home, and when something isn’t working with it, the whole house can become a mess. Whether things are not fitting properly or are too cramped for your needs, we must start evaluating what isn’t working to get the space back up and running. It’s time to assess the closet’s functionality and make changes accordingly.
We need to determine what organizational systems are needed. Installing shelving units or drawers can help keep items organized rather than wasting valuable space. We should also consider how much room we need for hanging clothes and shoes, how we will reduce clutter so that everything has its own place, and how we can utilize vertical space better. \
Baskets are another great way to organize smaller items while freeing up other closet areas. Making these small adjustments could mean a significant gain in efficiency overall. After assessing all your needs, you can look into different solutions that will work best.
Move Baskets Lower on the Shelf
After spending a couple of weeks in the new organization steps, moving baskets to a lower shelf may become a simple solution. After finding the right size of shelving, installing, and organizing storage, see if you need to adjust some pegs in order to move the basket down. This was actually an easier task than most anticipate; making minimal adjustments with an Allen wrench and adjusting the pegs made it so that the basket would fit perfectly.
Now that the storage baskets are comfortable to grab for what your child needs, you’ll actually see them put the basket back when finished (compared to baskets laying around on the floor). Moving most used baskets lower on the shelf could not only present an immediate solution, but it also may give more room for other belongings in your closet system too.
I hope these kids closet ideas were helpful! This post is sponsored by Target, and I am proud to be a Target partner. As with any of my partnerships, all opinions and ideas are my own.
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