Kids' Closet Organization Ideas

Storage Tips for Kids' Closets

Think small when designing kid-friendly closet organization. Small drawers, cubbies, and storage bins make it easier for kids to locate what they're looking for without making a mess. Keep clothing in short stacks in shallow drawers, so your children don't have to rifle through piles. Put toys and books on open shelves, in plain sight, where they're easy to grab and put away. Use baskets and boxes to keep adults-only items, such as extra toy batteries, out of reach.

• Need-to-know tips for keeping your entire family organized.

Storage Solutions for Two

When kids share a closet, strategic organizing ideas can keep the peace. The symmetrical layout in this closet gives each child a custom storage area. Racks on either side of a center unit make it easy for each child to reach belongings. Big, bold labels designate ownership of each drawer in the shared center console.

Editor's Tip: When hanging rods for vertical storage, look for adjustable pieces that can be repositioned as your child grows.

Make the Most of Storage Space

Little children aren't reaching for their hanging clothes. Make the most of the space in the top of the closet by positioning rods that Mom and Dad can reach easily. This toddler's closet has two staggered rods. Ready-to-assemble storage cubes come with mix-and-match options—cubbies, drawers, and shelves—to fit your toddler's organization needs. Arrange a set in the bottom space, then trim the stacked cubes with quarter-round molding, if desired.

Choose Closet Storage That Grows

To design closet storage that grows with your children, opt for wire closet organizers. These easy to reposition components can accommodate larger clothing and a variety of accessories. Need more hanging space? Reassign a slide-out drawer unit as an organizer and add another clothes rod. Many systems have specialty pieces you can add later, such as shoe shelves and hanging baskets.

• Learn the right way to install a wire closet system.

Make It Easy to Get Organized

In a solo closet, label types of clothing and accessories to keep things organized, or color-coordinated containers can do the trick. Over time, your child will learn the difference between clothing items, as well as the value of organization. For a personal touch, pick labels in his or her favorite color. Organizer products can be found at most home goods stores, or you can make your own with construction paper, washi tape, and markers.

Easy Ideas for a Custom Closet

Choose custom touches of personality and practicality for a kid's walk-in closet design. Replace standard bifold doors for doors with tempered-glass windowpanes. Attach a length of colorful fabric on the inside of each glass panel for a decorative touch. Inside, outfit one wall with drawer and cubby storage arranged around a bench where little ones can put on shoes. To get a built-in look without heavy construction, arrange a sturdy cushion-topped toy or blanket chest between two narrow bookshelf towers or modular storage cubes.

Stylish Closet Design Ideas

If your child's closet has built-ins, use bins and baskets to store treasures that can't find a home on hangers or in drawers. A large wire basket holds socks, underwear, and other everyday items. Colorful boxes on the top shelf contain treasures and keepsakes, such as first report cards or baby teeth. If your child's closet doesn't have built-ins, opt for store-bought dividers.

Tip: Kid-friendly closet organization is all about ease, so choose baskets without a lid. They'll have no excuse for leaving socks or dirty clothes on the floor.

Get Kids Involved

Let children be a part of the organization process, and you might be surprised at how willing they are to help declutter the space and keep the closet organized. Encourage little ones to tell you how they'd like to sort and store their favorite items, or let them choose which dividers they like best. Work with older kids to get organized, then turn them loose to decorate the space in their favorite colors and patterns.

Clothes Closet Curtain Call

Yes, closet doors are a necessity, but they're also boring and sometimes cumbersome for little kids. For a creative option, remove the door and hang a curtain rod above the frame. Add a decorative curtain that's easy to slide across the interior. The bright curtain disguising this closet matches the vibrant yellow wall treatment.

Tip: This unique kids' closet idea will make the room appear larger if the curtain is hung at the very top of the wall and reaches down to the floor.

Clever Closet Storage Cover-Up

Toddler closet organization doesn't have to be boring. Let it be the focal point of your child's bedroom by painting an armoire, dresser, or other storage unit a vibrant shade. This emerald dresser features easy-to-grasp drawer pulls for little hands. Decorated boxes hold out-of-season items. And a mounted tension rod keeps coats, dress shirts, and hard-to-fold items wrinkle free.

Do More with Standard Closet Storage

The best kids' closet designs don't leave a dent in your wallet and can easily be adjusted as your child grows. Cut clutter by tweaking a standard closet system—no remodeling needed. Designate the existing clothes rod and high shelf (where only parents can reach) for out-of-season clothes and items for safekeeping. Add a second lower rod for everyday clothes that kids need to reach. Use the floor for shoes, toys, and even a laundry hamper.

Plan Your Storage Space

Ideas for small kids' closets are not all that different from the ones for your master closet. Plan before you organize. Purge outgrown clothes and unused toys, inventory everything you want to store in the closet, and think about how your child can most easily access things. Then come up with a design that fits those needs. A modular organization system offers greater variety for storing both hanging and folded clothes, shoes, hats, accessories, and toys. With careful planning, low rods can be removed to make way for longer hanging clothes in the future. High shelves can transition from off-season storage to everyday space as the child grows.

• Let this incredible closet makeover inspire your own decluttering.

Keep Storage Easy

Hassle-free equals clutter-free. Use organizers to keep commonly used items easy to reach and to put away. In this closet, open shelves line up shoes and hats for grab-and-go access. Oversized baskets keep personal items, such as underwear and socks, accessible but out of sight. This simple organization tip can be applied to meet your kids' interest. If your child loves ballet, install a hook right by the door for a quick place to drop off a dance bag.

• More Kid's Closet Designs

Have Fun with Storage

Make staying organized fun. Treat kids' closets to practical touches that mimic their room's decorating theme or play to their favorite interests. This princess, for example, turned her closet into a castle. A tension rod keeps all of her dress-up gear in plain sight. A bottom basket holds treasured accessories, such as tiaras. Personalized organization like this makes your child feel special, while teaching the importance of cleaning.

• 7 Smart Kid's Closet Ideas

More Than Just a Closet Makeover

Kids might not appreciate a walk-in closet as much as adults do, and it helps to rethink the space as a mini bonus room. A small remodeling project in this dormer closet made room for toy cabinets and a child-sized window seat. With hanging and cubby clothes storage on the left wall and extra floor space to the right, the closet now doubles as a pint-sized secret hideaway. The key to the design is to put away your own preferences and really think about what will get your child excited.

Small-Space Smarts

Good things come in small packages, even closets. Make the most of a small one by perking it up with wallpaper. If space is too tight to install an organizer system, bring in a short dresser and add a row of hooks to a section of wall. In this small closet, the homeowners even took advantage of the unused space on the door and installed hooks.

• Small closet secrets you need to know.

Kid-Savvy Storage Tips

You've cleaned out the kids' closets and have a plan to keep the spaces organized. But how do you ensure all your efforts aren't wasted faster than you can close the closet door? The key to teaching kids to keep an organized closet is making it easy for them to do. One simple storage solution is to line wire baskets with fabric to prevent small items from slipping through the wire grid.