Are you a book lover? If you are, then your kids probably also have a lot of books. I know sometimes it feels like the book clutter can get out of control.
But you can have a neat and organized kids’ book shelf in your child’s room. And just think how much more they’ll enjoy all of their books if they can actually see what’s there! Here’s how to make it happen:
2021 Update: See my newly organized kids bookshelf here!
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Tip #1: Declutter. Get rid of books that you don’t love and read regularly.
The best way to keep the book clutter from getting out of control is to limit the number of books that you keep in your home.
Take the time to sort through your books. Decide which ones you love, and want to keep, and which ones it’s time to let go of.
What to do with books you don’t want anymore:
- Donate them to a teacher or a school: Teachers usually build their own classroom libraries, and appreciate quality book donations. Even if they already have plenty of books in their own classroom library, they might know another teacher who is just starting out and looking for books.
- Donate them to your local library: A lot of libraries hold sales where they sell old books or donations. This can help supplement their funding.
- Recycle them. Or throw them away: If a book is in poor condition, or just really old, I promise- it is OK to recycle it. And if a pile of books was thrown up on by your two-year-old while she was sick with the stomach bug… throw them away! No one wants you to donate those books to them!!! (Not that I’m speaking from personal experiences or anything…)
- Give them to your kids’ friends: Put a photo on Facebook and ask if anyone is interested. Or you can host a book swap where everyone goes home with new books to enjoy.
- Sell them: If you have books that are still in great condition, you might be able to make some money off of them. You can try your luck with Facebook Marketplace or selling them at a real yard sale. Some used bookstores will pay you, or give you store credit, for your books. We’ve had a lot of success selling kids’ books on Ebay– especially if the books are old classics that people remember from their own childhood.
- Donate them: Check out charities like Books for Africa or Better World Books, or just fill up a bag and drop it off at your local thrift store.
- Give them away on Freecycle: This is a website that helps people give things away for free to other people in their towns or neighborhoods. Or use a local buy nothing group on Facebook.
- Use them for crafts… or give them to someone who will: Check out this Pinterest board for inspiration!
- Host a book swap! (See my best tips on how to do it here.)
Tip #2: Designate a special place in your home for library books.
Checking out books from the library is a great way to keep your books organized. After all, you’ll eventually be taking them back, right? 😉
But it can be really helpful to designate a special spot for the library books while they are visiting your home. And make sure that special place is not near the spot where you keep your own books! Otherwise, they are sure to get mixed up.
We store library books in the cabinet under the TV in our living room. We don’t have another bookshelf in the living room, so the books usually stay pretty separated. It makes it easier to find and return all the books on time each week.
Tip #3: Use baskets for small books or board books
If you have tiny, little books that are always falling off the bookshelf, contain them in a cute basket that fits right on the shelf.
We use one wire basket for mini board books, and the other to hold all of our copies of Highlights Hello magazines. It’s a lot easier for little hands to put books into baskets than to stand them up in a row on a bookshelf.
Tip #4: Use book bins
I bought these great book bins on Amazon, and labeled them with pictures of Emma’s favorite books. She actually helped me pick out the pictures she wanted to use, and we taped them on together.
Now it’s a lot easier for her to find the book that she’s looking for, and it’s also a lot easier for her to put them back in an organized way. Which is a game changer if you don’t want to be cleaning up books by yourself every day!
My husband also bought some wire mail organizers, and screwed them to the girls’ bunk beds. That way, they had a space to keep books that they were reading in bed (instead of throwing them on the floor when they were done.)
That’s it!
What do you think of these tips?
Now it’s your turn to tackle that bookshelf, and get organizing. Good luck!
-Laura
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Marissa Khosh says
I LOVE these ideas! I especially like the idea of using baskets and bins to put the smaller books in. My daughter is still young and doesn’t have enough books to do this yet, but she loves to read books, and I have a feeling we will have quite a large collection as she gets older, so I will keep these things in mind for the future. I’ve already been wondering what to do with all her books as they multiply.
I also love that these ideas are easy and inexpensive to implement.
Thank you for sharing!
admin says
Thanks so much, Marissa! It is hilarious to me how quickly all of the books multiply. I don’t pay attention for a month or two, and suddenly there are dozens more. Where do they all come from???