Growing a Reader: Kids' Books, Tips and More

Decluttering and organizing is the subject of a lot of adult literature, including Marie Kondo's touchstone book. Tidy up time pervades a child's world too, from messy bedrooms to the kindergarten chanting that signals class cleanup.

Photo Credit: Ursus Wehrli's The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy

For any caregivers out there stressing over whether or not the abundance of Hatchimals or Shopkins in the house "create joy" or simply stir up dread instead, don't despair. Chaos may always exist as part of the landscape of childhood, but so too can order. 

Kondo urges us to tackle our clutter by category, rather than moving from room to room. For example, sorting through the toys in the entire house instead of moving piles from the bedroom to the playroom. In her books, cleaning is a family affair, with each family member making decisions about his/her own stuff. Sometimes decluttering tips feel unrealistic, but Kondo started training her kids early and offers some practical advice.

Could children appreciate the folding techniques below if they felt it was like origami for their clothing? Are we being too optimistic?

Photo Credit: The Illustrated Guide to the KonMari Method

A few classics to ponder this contemporary problem of the clean up:

The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman

Mr. Messy by Roger Hargreaves

Photo Credit: Ursus Wehrli's The Art of Clean Up: Life Made Neat and Tidy

 And some more current titles to add orderliness to our lives:

Tidy by Emily Gravett

The Messy Book by Maudie Powell-Tuck

Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Don't want to clean up the house after crafts and activities? Come out to some Family Literacy Month programs and let us do the big clean up for you!

Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere.

Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share.

If you have a different version of the tidy up song, please share the life-changing magical lyrics below.