Back-to-school decluttering

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As families, we always have some amount of clutter at home. And when a new school year begins, the clutter just gets bigger. It’s only wise, to go through stuff over the summer break and get things organised for the new school year.Here are some tips to declutter your home before school begins:

Clear out last year’s school stuff
As each school year goes by, we end up collecting a lot of school stuff, study material, notebooks and more. And over time this adds to the clutter in your kid’s room. So go through everything that your kids used last year and keep only what you need. Make a neat pile of used text books that can be given to other child to study from and ensure that you take it to a donation box or back to your school.

Keep important notes or documents
Make sure to file all your child’s certificates and scorecards. These are permanent records. Go through some study material from the previous year like Math or English and save them for a few more months. They are great reference material as your child tries to get back into the school rhythm.

Not all crafts make great memories
As much as all the crafts made by your toddler are adorable, its silly to save it all. Choose a few good ones for keepsakes and throw away the rest. Make sure to add a date and year to the keepsakes to make it more memorable. Some crafts can be repurposed. I usually keep some cute drawings to hang around the Christmas tree. It makes for a great topic of discussion on Christmas mornings.

Create new schedules
get rid of all previous year’s schedules and calendars and make fresh ones. A new school year calls for new hobbies, new friends, and new time tables.

Check the toys
With each growing year, kids outgrow their toys and then they are clutter in your kids’ rooms. Just because they are expensive, you need not keep the toys in the house. Find someone else who will adore, keep and enjoy your money’s worth and give it away. This save almost 50% space in your child’s cupboard.

Create space for new stuff
Make sure you plan out some space for all your child’s new stuff. Ensure that there is a bin for dirty laundry, a box for hobby materials and a drop zone for putting away their backpack. If you’re in a cold country they definitely need a home to drop of coats, jackets, gloves and boots. Make sure that their pyjamas, slippers and towels are easily accessible when they get home to a hot shower. Make sure there is a dedicated spot on his table like an in-tray for homework, assignments and more. And of course, don’t forget a daily calendar on his desk.

Clean spaces attract clean minds and clean minds are more receptive to knowledge.