As any parent knows, adding a child to the family can quickly and drastically alter the environment of any home. From infants to teens, kids come with a lot of “stuff.” What are you supposed to do with it all? Here are a few simple tips to help you teach your children how to get organized and stay that way…

• Bins, boxes, and baskets kept on lower shelves make it easy for your child to put away toys. Label storage containers with both pictures (for young children) and printed words (for preschoolers).
• Better yet, have your child draw pictures for the labels. Or, you can cut out the toys’ logos straight from the original boxes, take photos of the toys, or print the logos directly from the manufacturer websites. And, if your storage containers have handles, luggage tags are a quick and easy way to attach the finished labels.
• Before birthdays, Christmas, or other special gift-giving occasions, sit down with your child to sort through toys together. Guide your child through the decision-making process of which toys to keep and which to donate in order to make room for new toys received as gifts. In fact, take your child with you to the donation center.
• As you fold laundry, separate your child’s clothes into complete outfits. Store them individually in gallon-sized zip-top bags. Keep one bagged outfit in the car, just in case. And, when you travel, squeeze any extra air out of the bags to make packing the suitcase a breeze.
• Provide low hooks for your child to hang up sweaters, pajamas, jackets, book bags, etc. Before bedtime, check the weather forecast with your child. Then, have your child select an appropriate outfit to wear the next day.

Save yourself some time, energy, and frustration by planning out your holiday shopping before you hit the stores. These printable goodies will help you keep track of your recipient list, gift ideas, and final purchases—the positively gorgeous holiday gift tracker from Time Too, the ultra-sensible gift worksheet from the project girl, and the automatically-calculated holiday gift shopping list from Adam Arthur Design Group.

Finally, the shopping-made-easy planner from All Bright Ideas includes space for planning which stores you’ll visit (and in what order) on your holiday shopping trip. Enjoy!

TIP : If you have already finished all your holiday shopping, take a moment to jot down a few notes. Include a list of those for whom you bought gifts, how much you spent, and ideas for upcoming occasions (i.e., birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, baby showers). Keep this information handy and refer to it when you fill in your calendar and prepare your gift-giving budget for the new year.