Re-organise Your Closet
Sort and categorize clothing and accessories, measure and label storage boxes, create a simple layout plan, and organize your closet for easier daily routines.
About this activity
Sort and categorize clothing and accessories, measure and label storage boxes, create a simple layout plan, and organize your closet for easier daily routines.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Gather all the materials from the list and bring them to your closet area.
- 2
Step 2
Take every piece of clothing and accessory out of the closet and place them on your bed or a clean floor space so you can see everything.
- 3
Step 3
Sort the items into piles by category (for example: everyday clothes; school outfits; sports gear; pajamas; dress-up; accessories; donate/repair).
- 4
Step 4
Measure each storage box with the measuring tape and write the length and width on your paper.
- 5
Step 5
Put a sticky label on each box with the name of the category that will go inside.
- 6
Step 6
Measure the inside width and height of your closet and write those numbers on your paper.
- 7
Step 7
Draw a simple layout plan on your paper showing shelves hooks and hanging space and label where each category will go.
- 8
Step 8
Move the labeled boxes and extra hangers into the closet following the layout plan you drew.
- 9
Step 9
Put the clothes from each sorted pile into their matching labeled box or onto their assigned hanger.
- 10
Step 10
Place the daily outfits and school clothes at eye level so they are easy to grab every morning.
- 11
Step 11
Put shoes and accessories into a small box or on hooks and place them where they are easy to find.
- 12
Step 12
Put the donate or repair pile into the donation bag and leave it by the door for an adult to help drop off.
- 13
Step 13
Share your finished organized closet on DIY.org.
Fun facts
How do I reorganize my child's closet so it's easier for them to use daily?
Start by emptying the closet and sorting items into keep, donate, repair, and laundry piles. Group clothing by type (tops, bottoms, pajamas, shoes, accessories). Measure shelves and storage spaces, then choose labeled boxes or bins sized to fit. Create a simple layout plan placing everyday items at child height, seasonal items higher, and labels or photos on bins. Put items back according to the plan and teach your child the new routine with a quick daily tidy-up.
What materials do I need to reorganize a child's closet?
You’ll need measuring tape, sticky labels or a label maker, markers, storage boxes or clear bins, hangers, a step stool, a laundry basket for sorting, and a donation bag. Optional items: shelf dividers, small baskets for accessories, color-coded tags, and printed photos for visual labels. Keep scissors and a tape measure handy, and use child-friendly labels or pictures to help non-readers find their things easily.
What ages is closet reorganization suitable for?
Closet reorganization can be adapted for all ages. Toddlers (3–5) can sort clothes into piles and choose favorites with supervision. Early school-age kids (6–8) can fold, label boxes, and help measure with guidance. Older children (9–12) can plan layout, decide zones, and lead the cleanup. Teens can fully organize, donate, and maintain the system independently. Always supervise climbing on stools and handling small items with younger children.
What are the benefits and safety tips for reorganising a child's closet?
Benefits include building independence, decision-making, categorization, and everyday routine skills; measuring and labeling reinforce basic math and reading. A tidy closet speeds morning routines and reduces stress. For safety, avoid overloading shelves, use a sturdy step stool, secure tall furniture to the wall, keep small accessories out of reach of toddlers, and supervise with scissors or label makers. Make sessions short and fun to keep kids engaged.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have a measuring tape, sticky labels, or storage boxes from the materials list?
Use a piece of string and a ruler to take measurements, replace sticky labels with masking tape and a marker, and substitute storage boxes with shoeboxes or clean grocery boxes for sorting and labeling.
My boxes don't fit after I measure and start placing them in the closet — what should I do?
If boxes won't fit, re-check the inside width and height you wrote on paper, redraw your layout plan to use vertical space, swap to smaller boxes or move more items onto extra hangers so shelves and hanging space match the measurements.
How can I adapt this closet re-organisation for younger kids or older teens?
For younger kids simplify the sorting step into three picture-labeled piles and have an adult do the measuring and sticky-labeling, while older teens can use the measuring tape, write exact dimensions, color-code boxes and draw a more detailed layout plan themselves.
How can we make the organised closet more fun or personalized after following all the steps?
Decorate and color-code the storage boxes and sticky labels, add outfit cards to the daily outfits box, attach fun hooks for accessories, and take a photo of the finished organised closet to share on DIY.org.