LET’S TIDY UP!

First Treasure: Clothes and accessories

Help your child remove every single piece of clothing from their closet and make a pile. From here, encourage them to hold each item and decide if it sparks joy. For each item that doesn’t, have your child express gratitude by thanking it before adding to the donation bag. To help your child along, you can ask them to pick their top five favourite t-shirts. I find that when we approach joy checks in bite-sized portions kids see it more as a game than a chore.

Storage suggestion: We recommend folding most clothes to save space. Aim to fold into rectangles and store them vertically in drawers for easy retrieval.

Second Treasure: Books

Gather all your child’s books from their shelf and place them on the floor. I know this is tough but try not to let your kids open and read else the whole tidying process will come to a halt. Similarly, have them pick their top five favourites first and then slowly work through the entire collection.

Storage suggestion: Upright on a bookshelf

Third Treasure: Paper i.e. old school assignments, artwork, drawings

Parents you may want to help your child for this category, we don’t want them tossing out homework that’s due next week because it doesn’t spark joy! For artwork, I invite you to sit together with your child to learn what goes on in their little artist’s mind. You will be intrigued by their interpretations of the world.

Storage suggestion: Display your children’s favourite artwork around your home or store them in clear document folders.

Fourth Treasure: Miscellaneous i.e. toys, gifts, or sporting equipment

This category is broad so place like for like items together before doing joy checks else you’ll start a nervous breakdown. Usually by this point children begin to get restless as they have short attention span so let them take frequent mini breaks each time they finish a subcategory. Any thoughts of giving up can be resurrected by reminding them how close they are to their visual board!

Gifts can be challenging to children as they may feel guilty donating something that was given to them. Tell your child the purpose of receiving a gift is to appreciate the person for thinking of them, therefore its purpose has already been achieved. If the item does not bring joy to your child, I believe the gifter would much rather the item were donated to someone in need.

Storage suggestion: In clear boxes or inside closets.

Fifth Treasure: Sentimental items like cards, letters or soft toys

The final treasure, BIG yeah!!!! Congratulations on coming this far, your child’s decision-making skills have been sufficiently honed, so this category should be fairly smooth sailing; mainly as they are restless to move on to cooler stuff like decorating their room! For sentimental items that your child treasures, I always encourage them to display it proudly. Little touches like this often spark a lot of joy for my little clients and you get to see a lovely twinkle in their eyes.

Storage suggestion: Display your special treasured items in the room or throughout the home.

Finally…

One of the most powerful lessons I learnt through tidying with the KonMari method is that it is not about the number of things we get rid of or having the best storage ideas. At its very core, tidying is a journey of self-discovery where we consciously choose joy so that we will cherish and be grateful to all our possessions that support our lifestyle.

Imagine your child’s room filled only with all their favourite belongings that make them skip with joy every day. As parents, this alone will spark plenty of joy for us, wouldn’t you agree?

Eve Wee-Ang 

Mother of two and the first certified KonMari consultant from Singapore photographed here with Marie Kondo.