Want to cut down on the chaos and clutter that comes with Christmas? Get your kids to take part in a pre-Christmas toy purge!
But how do you get your kids to clean out their existing stuff before the new stuff comes in? We're not going to go all Marie Kondo on your kids, but we do have 3 doable ideas on how to get your tiny pack rats on board with an "out with the old, in with the new" philosophy:
Leave gifts FOR Santa.
Jamie Clark, the Macaroni Kid publisher in Roanoke, Va., has her children leave toys FOR Santa on Christmas Eve. She gets her kids excited about the annual tradition by telling them they're helping Santa by giving him toys he can give to other kids. ("Santa" then stores the gently-used toys in the car trunk until the first opportunity to donate them).
Want to get rid of toys before Christmas Eve? You could also leave a bag of toys for your Elf to take back to the North Pole on any night!
Feeling ambitious? This is a project the whole family can participate in!
Pass it on.
Laura Miller, the publisher of Macaroni Kid in Appleton, Wisc., has her daughter go "shopping" for friends and younger family members in her own room. Her daughter enjoys finding treasures to give as gifts, and Laura gets to clear the clutter before the holidays. They also donate some toys to the school's annual "Kids Only Store," so her daughter's schoolmates can shop for gifts for their loved ones too, while helping to raise money for their school.
Talk about it!
Jen Hill, the Macaroni Kid publisher in Fremont Calif., recently talked with her youngest children, ages 8 and 10, about how many of their toys they actually play with and truly enjoy. The discussion led to her kids looking at their stuff in a new way, she said. Her daughter was quick to understand there wasn't any point in holding onto toys she no longer uses, choosing to keep only her favorite dolls and Barbies, along with some stuffed animals and games. Her son, meanwhile, agreed to put stuffed animals he wasn't sure about getting rid of into a box. Now, nearly six weeks later, he hasn't touched any of them and is ready to give them away.
See? Clearing the clutter doesn't have to be painful! Find a way to engage your kids in the process and pretty soon you'll be able to see the bottom of the toy bin ... just in time for Christmas, when you can start filling it all over again.
Kara Murphy is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Erie, Pa.
