Win the Battle For a Tidy Room - Organizing Kids Rooms

Keeping some sense of order and organizing kids rooms is an ongoing challenge for most parents. Exactly what level of organization you need will be different for each of us, depending on the age and nature of your kids (as well as yourself), but by taking the time to 'give everything its place', you are giving your kids the ability to keep a tidy room, no matter what their age.

Here's our 5 top tips to get some organization happening in your child's room:

Keep items at a reachable level. Obviously this will change with age, but kids can put toys away when they can reach containers, baskets or whatever storage you choose. If you keep storage out of their reach, then you will always be the one doing the tidying.
Select the type of storage that works for you, and the type of toys your child has. A bookcase is a great starting point in any bedroom, and you can place baskets, plastic storage and other containers on the shelves. Depending on the size of your child's room, you can also go for an under-bed trundle, desk with storage or toy chest.
Use labels, color coding, pictures so that your child knows which items go where. You can pictures of the toys and laminate them and stick them to the front of plastic containers.In my house we have a variety of different coloured and shaped baskets and in time my kids have learnt which items go in which basket.
Kids produce a whole lot of artwork (my fridge is evidence of this!). Display what you can, perhaps on a rotating basis, and keep a folio or low & wide plastic container to keep all their work in.At the end of each year we go through and keep the best, and recycle the rest. Keep the folio where they can help you put creations that they want to keep so that you don't have drawings spread all over your house.
Most kids these days have an excess of toys. Put away toys that your kids don't use all the time, and bring them out occasionally so that they maintain some of their novelty. Encourage your kids to play with one item at a time, and once they finish with it, put it away before starting on the next activity.Obviously for toddlers, this is a challenge, but if this becomes a routine early in life, they will do it automatically as older children!
Establishing a good level of organization for toys, craft and clothes in your child's room might take a little bit of your time and energy. It is a great opportunity to declutter, and donate unused items to friends or charities, as well as providing your child with a space that he/she actually wants to spend time because all their precious things have pride of place.

*Tip- always praise your children if you catch them tidying up on their own, and make tidying fun, do it together, we sing a cleaning up song about cleaning fairies and gnomes!

Nicole O'Reilly is a work at home mother to two girls, and makes a habit of living in a kid friendly, but clutter-free environment! More help organizing kids rooms and decorating kids rooms at Kids Fun and Games.

Board Games That Can Be Customized

Everyone loves a good board game, one that brings back memories and nostalgia of the fun times spent playing them. These games are often used during quality time spent with family and friends and because of these, games can often hold a special place in the hearts of many. However, not many people realize that they can take this love of board games a step further and make one that has a more personal meaning. There are a number of kits available to the consumer which allows them to take the base of an already existing board game and adapt it to make it personal. These games are usually not that expensive and don't often require much other than a little creativity to make a novelty that everyone will come to cherish.

One of the easiest adaptable and most popular customizable board games is a take off of Monopoly. Coming in a kit called Make-Your-Own-Opoly, this set allows players the chance to form a board based on a traditional Monopoly board, using only what the player themselves design. The set comes with a CD-ROM which gives the consumer all of the software needed to fully craft the cards needed for the game, along with the templates onto which these cards can be printed through a personal computer. The game does feature some differences, however, from the original version of Monopoly. Houses and hotels are not featured within game play, nor are railroads. The names of other features have been changed, such as Chance and Community Chest cards. These are now known as "Good News" or "Bad News." Jail is now called "Fate" and "Free Parking" is "Roll Again." These little differences aren't enough to get in the way of a heavily enjoyable game, however, and the novelty of owning a game that a player designed themselves is enough to overcome any drawbacks that the few missing elements would have provided.

Citizens of the United Kingdom, however, have the opportunity to purchase their own official edition of Monopoly called "My Monopoly." By operating through the official website, interested consumers can order their own edition that is customized right on the website. They have the opportunity to personalize all of the property spaces and the Chance and Community Chest cards. The rest of the board is the standard version of the game, but with an official seal, this personalized board game can become a great family heirloom.

The Game of Life also has an adaptation which can be personalized with little trouble. Often featured with weddings, graduations, and reunions, the game is often customized by all of the visitors to an event. Each visitor often crafts out one particular memory of the person or family being celebrated, which later becomes a space on the board. After all the visitors have left their particular memories, the board is designed, becoming fully playable on the second event. This version of the game is extremely well received, allowing people to make a very entertaining version of a keepsake, one that can be enjoyed over and over again, instead of simply sitting on a shelf somewhere. Fully interactive games are a great way to entertain and delight loved ones, and customizable board games are a unique way to do so.