Kids Closet Organization Ideas

Lisa Rivera • Jan 28, 2022

The most effective ways to tame the madness & disorder in your kids' custom closets depends on a couple of factors. The first one is their current age & capabilities, and the second, structuring a layout that helps them to stay organized.

Don’t let your kid's closet become a cluttered catch-all. Think about the objectives of organizing and consider incorporating the 4 ideas below to optimize that real estate and give little ones an easier way to help maintain it.

Accessibility, Accessibility, Accessibility
Labels and Color Coding Are Your Friends
Zones Are Where It's At
Doors, Walls, Vertical Space, Oh My

Read on for more details on how these above design ideas could come to life in your own kid’s closets. Remember, the less mess you have to worry about, the better!

Accessibility, Accessibility, Accessibility

With children, any closet layout should keep their needs top of mind as you design how best to organize it. Before you begin, get down on their level for a bird’s eye view of how they see things. You want to empower them to access their clothing and accessories and be able to provide a structure that also enables them to put things away the best they can.

Some practices to follow are:

Sort through and put items that are most often used front and center. If they are old enough to put together their own outfits, make sure they have access to 2-3 sets of options, enough to make choices but not enough to make a big mess. If they are toddler/preschool age, put together sets of outfits and let them choose their favorite.
Organize placement options that are lower and at heights that are accessible to young children. You want drawers, bins, and/or cubbies that are easy for them to reach and an adjustable hanging rod, one that can be repositioned as they grow.
Add hooks for quick retrieval and clean up. Their uses are endless! They are perfect for stashing jackets, sweatshirts, backpacks, and hats to name a few.

Real Simple shares eight ways to keep children’s closets contained as well as accessibility considerations to think about as they grow.

Labels and Color Coding Are Your Friends

It's also important to label areas of your kids' closets to better guide them in maintaining that organization system & understand its value. There are a whole host of closet label products that can be found at home goods or craft stores that you could utilize. Be sure to clearly label each bin/basket, shelf/cubby, and/or drawer so that they are 100% sure where each clothing item or accessory should live.

If your child is too young to read, another way to help keep clutter at bay is to color-code. Hanging clothes can be placed using the order and colors of the rainbow as inspiration for more visual appeal and quick recall for little ones. For items like socks, underwear, t-shirts, PJs, and other miscellaneous pieces, find coordinating bins or baskets and use a different color for each category. This is a great way for toddler/preschool-age children to get to know which color storage solution is the home for any particular item.

Zones Are Where It's At

Be sure that you think about what common zones make sense for your child’s closet. Do they have a lot of shoes? Hats? T-shirts? Dresses or skirts? Girl's wardrobe needs are usually different from those of boys. Typically, five primary zones suffice:

Zone 1-Hanging items
Zone 2-Folded/stacked clothing
Zone 3 Shoes
Zone 4-Bins/Baskets/Drawers
Zone 5 -Off season/special occasion

Whatever zones you choose, make sure they fulfill your own child’s space and access needs. Hassle-free, grab and go and ease of putting away are all part of a successful formula to lessen heaps of clutter & creating zones helps to support those elements.

Whether or not you have the ability to fully customize your closets, zones are a sensible way to maximize for prime storage. DASI Innovations offers their insight on factors that might influence a homeowner’s decision to invest in custom closets in- What Factors Influence The Cost of Purchasing Custom Closets.

Doors, Walls, Vertical Space, Oh My!

Utilizing hooks on the side walls is a great way to store hats, coats, bathrobes, and other accessories. Hanging storage organizers also fit well on the back of doors and come in all shapes and sizes.

On shelves, use sturdy dividers to assist in generating “walls” to separate sections. Dividers further promote boundaries for folded clothes which goes a long way in maintaining a more neat and tidy reality. On the floor, shoe racks, coordinated large bins or baskets, or a dedicated mat can keep shoes corralled and paired up.

Check out this piece by Home Edit on organizing kids' closets and find some creative inspiration for your own kid closet overhaul.

Final Thoughts

Teaching children at an early age how to keep their living areas and personal items tidy is a foundational life skill. With a few purposeful design features, a kid’s closet can be practical and yet exude some personality. They're a great place to incorporate a few adjustable components that allow the space to morph as your kids grow and the needs for the space organically change.