Spring Cleaning Tips to Help Kids Declutter

Cognitive psychology shows how decluttering can reduce stress and improve focus for children

Mar. 29, 2026 at 7:20pm

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As a parent and former interior designer, the author shares strategies for teaching kids the benefits of decluttering and building it into a daily habit. The article discusses how cognitive psychology principles like reducing distractions and simplifying decision-making can make decluttering easier, and provides tips for making the process fun and collaborative with children.

Why it matters

Helping kids develop good decluttering skills provides them with a valuable life skill. Cluttered spaces can negatively impact cognitive abilities, while organized spaces promote focus and reduce stress. By making decluttering a regular family activity, parents can instill healthy habits that will benefit kids throughout their lives.

The details

The author explains how they used to easily declutter as renters, but found the process more challenging after buying a house and having kids. Research in cognitive psychology shows that clutter can reduce our ability to focus by presenting distracting stimuli. The author recommends strategies like consolidating similar items, reducing the total number of possessions, and making decluttering a collaborative, fun activity with children. They describe how they would tackle small spaces like drawers or shelves with their kids, sorting items into 'toss', 'give away', and 'not sure' piles, and making a game out of the process.

  • The author has been helping their kids declutter for many years, starting when they lived in small apartments.

The players

The author

A parent and former interior designer who shares strategies for teaching kids the benefits of decluttering and making it a regular habit.

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What they’re saying

“Cluttered spaces are rarely calming. When we perform a cognitive task—writing a blog post, for example—being surrounded by clutter reduces the cognitive capacity we have to give to that task, because some part of our mind is processing and then actively ignoring unrelated stimuli.”

— The author

“Clustering multiple items together into one place—like putting all your toiletries into a basket—made them read as a single item. Again, simplifying and decluttering the space reduces cognitive load and stress. You process one item—toiletries—instead of makeup, shampoo, moisturizers, hairbrushes . . . .”

— The author

The takeaway

By making decluttering a regular, collaborative activity with children, parents can help kids build valuable life skills, reduce stress and distractions, and cultivate a sense of control and ownership over their personal spaces.