🧹 Tips for Keeping an ADHD Child’s Room Tidy
- Macca Greene
- May 8
- 2 min read
📷 Start by taking a photo– Take a photo of the room you'll be working on. And then in a week or so time, take another photo from the exact same position. Compare the two and highlight everything that hasn't changed, moved or altered. This is everything that isn't necessary or used appropriately in the room. It is clutter, this is what you will be working through and does not contribute to daily life in a positive way.
🧩 Tidy by category, not area– Just do clothes first– Then rubbish– Then toys– etc. One thing at a time
🧺 Put baskets where mess builds up– Laundry piling on the floor? Put a basket there, not where you WANT the basket to be, but where it NEEDS to be– Add a hoop to make it fun.
🧸 Too many toys? = overwhelm→ Pack some away and rotate them weekly or monthly.
📦 Limit drawers and surfaces– Less or no drawers. Beds can't have empty space underneath. Less shelves and surfaces = less clutter spots. If there is a surface, it will be filled with clutter. If there is a storage box or draw, it will be filled with clutter. Limit the places for clutter.
👀 Make everything visible– ADHD brains forget what they can’t see. Avoid deep drawers or under-bed storage. If you can’t see it, it will get messy– Avoid out-of-sight spaces, which means if you stand at the doorway, you should be able to see everything. No hidden nook or corner. Push beds to walls not in the middle of the room is a big one. The other far side becomes the problem area.
🍽️ No eating in the room (or stay on top of it daily)– Plates pile up fast– ADHD brains lose motivation once the food is eaten.
🧸 Create simple toy storage→ Use things like Lego mats with drawstrings — but expect to remind kids to use them.
🍬 Sugar wrappers hidden? Might be self-medicating– Don’t punish– Talk to the paediatrician about possible support
🔄 Let them organise their way (if it works)– Stuffed clothes in a cubby instead of folding, that’s okay if it works. Make it less overwhelming– Find what works for them, not what looks “perfect”
📦 Less stuff = less mess– Fewer clothes, toys, surfaces– Store what’s not used often
🍬 Sugar wrappers hidden?→ It may be self-medicating. Don’t punish — bring it up with their doctor.
Thank you!