How to create an organized craft station for kids with simple systems that keep everything in its place for good! 

Friends, who loves and despises “crafts” at the same time? While they can provide endless hours of fun and engagement for our kids, all of the tiny pieces, messes and disorganization can be overwhelming! Play-doh, clay, painting materials, felts, crayons, pastels, colouring books, workbooks, sewing materials, stickers and building materials and more (!!!) can all find their way into an arts and craft station. I’m excited to share 5 easy steps with you to get your kids craft organization under control for good! 

1. Choose Your Location Wisely

You will want to store your kids arts and crafts materials in a space in your home that is close to where all of the crafting naturally happens. You may find that your children like to spend time creating at the kitchen island or table or at their desk. Having a location close by to contain everything will ensure that items are easily accessible and also quick and easy to put away. All arts and crafts items are contained in a kitchen cabinet in our island. Try to avoid having various crafting materials all over the house as this strategy tends to get out of hand and often results in little messes everywhere! 

  • If you have the space, consider clearing out a low and accessible kitchen cabinet to store arts and crafts
  • If finding the space is a problem, consider using a portable cart on wheels to house crafts and tuck away into a closet or pantry or under or beside a desk when not in use 

2. Sort and Ruthlessly Declutter

Kids crafts have a way of adding up and getting out of hand quickly. Another birthday or Christmas goes by and most children have a whole new collection of materials and activities! Begin by collecting ALL of your children’s crafting materials and bring them to one central location. Do not skip this step, as this is the only way you will really know how much you have! Then, sort the items by category: Play-doh, clay, painting materials, felts, crayons, pastels, chalk, paper, colouring books, workbooks, sewing materials, stickers, building materials, etc. Remember, you can’t “over sort”! 

  • Now it’s time to declutter! As you work through each sorted pile, choose to keep the items that are used regularly and are the best quality (this works great when deciding on how many crayons or felts to keep).
  • Discard or recycle bulky containers and items that have served their time! Less is always more when it comes to crafting materials! 

3. Contain, Label and Put Everything in its Place

In order to teach your kids how to clean up after themselves and set them up for success when it comes to keeping crafts organized, you need to have a simple system in place that is easy to maintain! Now that you have sorted and simplified, you can “shop your home” for bins that will work to contain the items by category. Consider using clear plastic bins, mason jars, or small reusable containers that once housed another item. I like these options because they are sturdy and washable and it’s easy to see what each bin contains! 

  • If you need to run out and grab some bins, make a list of exactly how many containers you need to buy to contain each sorted pile so you stay on budget! 
  • Label everything! Consider using “picture labels” for little ones who can’t read (just find a picture of the item on your computer, copy and paste it into a Word document, print it and place it on the front of the bin). 
  • Items that you don’t want unsupervised little hands to touch can be contained, labeled and stored out of reach close by at the top of a closet or pantry

4. Simplify Often

Get into the habit of taking inventory before bringing something new into your home. With this simple kids craft organization bin system in place it’s easy to see exactly what you have and DON’T need! When a birthday or holiday is approaching and family is asking what to get your little one, be strategic and ask for specific items that are running low or switch it up and ask for an “experience gift” instead! 

  • When looking to simplify, ask yourself, what has not been touched or played with in a long time? 
  • Release items with joy to make room for new! Remember that well used items have “served their time” and provided the joy and entertainment they were bought for. Learn to notice what items were never played with and choose to donate or sell items that still have purpose! 

5. Rotate Crafts and Activities Monthly

A great way to keep your child’s interest and ensure all crafting materials are actually used is to have a “back pantry” or bin where you store some items out of sight for a time and then rotate back in to your child’s arts and craft station every month or two. This kids craft organization method creates excitement, allows the space to feel fresh and new and keeps your child’s attention longer. Also, it allows you to have fewer items out at a time and works great when you are short on space to store items. 

  • After a birthday or holiday, resist the urge to put out all of the new gifts at once! Try implementing this rotation system instead!
  • Having less choice in a craft station highlights the items that you have thoughtfully chosen to keep accessible for a time. 

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Get unstuck and simplify the demands of motherhood with a family centred approach to organization and time management. Experience transformation in our weekly “Empower Hour” group coaching session. Gain access to my simple step-by-step system in the SORT Method Course.

Discover the JOY of an organized home and simplified life with kids! 

Here are a few of my favourite tools for kids craft organization:

How do you store and organize arts and crafts in your home? Please share your great ideas with the rest of the OWK community in the comments section below!