The time has flown by and in just a couple of weeks children across the UK will be going back to school. The supermarkets and shops are full of school uniform and all those stationery essentials; pens, pencils, and notepads – you name it, they’ve got it. And it’s no longer just a few pens and pencils they need. Ask any secondary school pupil and they’ll tell you one packet of coloured pencils just won’t do it. Now they need highlighters, felt tips and permanent markers as well as pens and pencils, and not just in one standard size either. They want thin tips, wide tips, short ones and long ones. And when it comes to note pads, files and folders, it’s the same array of choice (and they’ll tell you – need!). Add to that school uniform, sports kit, bags and shoes and before long, you’ll be wondering where to put it all.
It’s time to start thinking of some clever storage solutions for all those school essentials!
For primary school children it’s not quite so bad. A bit of uniform and maybe a book bag, with some homework and reading books to find space for during term time. But for secondary school pupils, in addition to all the things you provide, there are the text books, files and folders that will be issued by the school.
You need to get organised, but more importantly, you need to encourage your child to get organised. If your child has been involved in the decisions about how and where to store their things, it’s more likely that they’ll use them.
So, where do you start? Well first thing is to get the existing space tidy; that way you can see where you may be short of space and also identify areas that aren’t being used at the moment but could be with a little inventive thinking.
Clothes
It’s not always easy to get your children to put their clothes away neatly, but you need to identify how much cupboard space they’ve got. Give some thought to whether clothes from this summer will fit next year. If it’s not likely, then there’s little point in storing them away. Hand them down to a sibling or friend, sell them or give them to a charity shop.
Everything in its place
Give everything a home. Shelf, wardrobe, basket or draw; everything needs a place to go otherwise it will just end up in a pile at the bottom of the cupboard, or worse still in the corner of the room!
Make it accessible
Think realistically about how your child will get things in and out and make it easy for them. If they have to move things to get to their sports kit or football boots, I can guarantee they’ll never go back where they came from.
Now you’ve got the room tidy and can see where things might go, take another look and see if you can add some inventive storage solutions. Is there space to fit boxes on wheels under the bed? They are easy to slide in and out. Are there bedside tables or dressing tables that have dead open space beneath them? If so, maybe a basket or box with a lid can go underneath, or even a drawer unit. You can get lots of drawer units in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Racks or rows of hooks that can be attached to the inside of doors are great for putting smaller things in and hanging things on. Hooks placed on the underside of shelves on walls are also great for hanging things up and keeping them tidy.
If sorting and organising rooms to store all those additional school items has inspired you to keep going and work through the rest of the house, you may find this post useful reading: Winter’s here – Time to Declutter and clear those cupboards out
If, after clearing out you find you’ve just got too many things to keep but have nowhere dry and secure to store them, you could consider self storage. If you’re in our area, our storage units start from just £5 per week, and you can move up or down is size without penalty.
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