Back to School Clothing Organization Tips from a Professional Organizer
Back to school season is one of the busiest times of the year for families. Between buying supplies, coordinating schedules, and preparing for routines, it’s easy to forget how much smoother mornings run when your child’s wardrobe is already organized. As a professional organizer, I know that cluttered clothing spaces can cause unnecessary stress. That’s why now is the perfect time to reset your child’s wardrobe and set them up for success.
Whether your child is starting kindergarten or heading into middle school, organizing kids’ clothes before the first day can make a huge difference. It will also save you money from buying unnecessary back to school items when you inventory what you already have. Here’s how to do it with intention—and a little help from the Kids Clothing Organizer Printable from Life’s Lists.
Step 1: Take Inventory of What You Already Have
Start to organize kids’ clothes by pulling out everything—yes, everything—from your child’s closet and drawers. Separate clothing into categories: shirts, pants, school uniforms, outerwear, pajamas, socks, etc.
Have your child try on items so you can quickly decide what still fits, what needs mending, and what can be donated or tossed. This step alone will reduce visual clutter and help you make more intentional decisions about what to keep.
My kids sizes are always changing so I try to do this regularly to make sure their pants are not too short and their shirts too tight. I try to keep only one size in the drawer or closets at the same time.
I also like to keep a laundry basket in the closet to put clothes that are getting to small. When it is full it is time to hand it down to the next cousin or younger kids of friends. Having a designated person to hand clothes down to helps make this process easier for parents and children. Parents can get a little stuck on the memories of the clothing, especially when the children are younger.
If you find yourself having a hard time passing on clothing, make sure you have pictures of your children wearing the outfits. Take a picture of the clothing before you donate it. Or if it is really special, have a designated memorabilia bin to store keepsakes. Remember to be brutal about what you keep so you do not end up with too many memory bins.
Pro Tip: Make cleaning out the clothes a fun event by playing music or offering a small reward for your child’s help. I like to tell them we are shopping in their closet and choosing what we will buy again.
Step 2: Create a Back-to-School Wardrobe Capsule
Once you’ve assessed what fits, create a back-to-school capsule wardrobe with versatile pieces your child can mix and match. This keeps clothing decisions easy and minimizes outfit battles.
Aim for:
- 5–7 school-appropriate tops
- 3–5 bottoms
- 1–2 sweaters or jackets
- 2 pairs of shoes (school/play)
- A full week’s worth of socks and underwear
I love the idea of putting together a capsule wardrobe for kids. So many retailers make this easy and affordable. For example H&M and Old Navy do a great job of putting packs of leggings together with coordinating shirts that can be mixed and matched. Pulling together the basics with a theme will make getting dressed in coordinating outfits much easier for young children.
Use the Kids Clothing Organizer Printable from Life’s Lists to map out daily outfits for the week for younger children, and sort baby sizes on the closet rod. Involve your child in choosing what they’ll wear so they can start to develop their own personal style.
Step 3: Set Up a Weekly Outfit Station
Designate a space—like a hanging closet organizer or labeled bins—for each day of the week. Pre-fill the slots every Sunday using the outfits you’ve planned. Label each day so your child can easily grab and go.
This not only saves time but also empowers your child to take ownership of their routine.
If this sounds a little too organized for you, as it might be for me some of our busier weeks, I encourage having kids layout their clothes the night before. As a mother, I also find this helpful for the many themed clothing days our schools seem to have. I hate being caught at the bus stop not remembering that it was spirit day or dress in blue day. By planning in advance, everyone has more time to think about what the outfit choice needs to be for the next day.
Step 4: Store Off-Season or Special Occasion Clothes Elsewhere
To further organize kids’ clothes free up drawer and closet space by storing off-season or less-used items in clearly labeled bins or vacuum-sealed bags. Use categories like “Winter Gear,” “Shoes,” or “Coats.”
As a mother of two, I find this really helpful each season. It helps us create space for what is current in the closets. But what is also great is when the first winter storm comes to New England and I realize we have no boots that fit, I can quickly run down to our “Winter Boots” bin and find the next size waiting to be used.
We get a lot of hand me downs from our cousins. I use the labeling system in the Kids Clothing Organizer Printable to label clear plastic bins or tote by size. When it is time to go up a size I go down to my storage area, pull the next size and review what I have before I buy anything new. Nothing is worse than just spending a bunch of money on new clothes or baseball pants and not knowing that you had those sizes buried away in your attic.
Keeping only school-ready items and the current seasons and sizes in your child’s main wardrobe keeps mornings simple and stress-free.
Step 5: Maintain the System Weekly
Every week I make sure I grab the laundry bins from their rooms (better yet . Encourage your child to put laundry away in the correct spots. It does not have to be perfectly folded, but it helps them take ownership of their space and help with the chores. If your kids are young, you can start them out by helping you match socks or sort the shirts in one pile and pants in the other.
It is always important for other family members to know and understand the system so the burden is not all on you.
Why the Kids Clothing Organizer Printable Works
I designed the Kids Clothing Organizer Printable to take the mental load off parents when the organize kid’s clothes. It’s bright, simple to use, and helps both kids and grown-ups visualize the week ahead with the daily clothing planners. With a complete labeling system to label clothing categories in drawers, baskets or bins, everyone will know where clothing goes. The size labels help you sort incoming hand-me-downs and store them efficiently.
It’s the perfect companion for back-to-school prep. Grab yours at Life’s Lists and start the school year with one less thing to worry about!
Final Thoughts
Back-to-school doesn’t have to be chaotic. With a little planning and the right tools, you can create a calm, organized space that supports your child’s confidence and independence. The earlier you start, the smoother your mornings will be all year long.
Let’s make this school year your most organized yet.
Happy Organizing!
Kristin
Kristin is a Professional Organizer and owner of Livable Solutions Professional Organizing and Life’s Lists. She has been a professional organizer since 2004 and is designer behind Life’s Lists, where she creates practical and stylish organizational printables. As a mom to a boy and a girl, she finds daily inspiration in managing toys, games, activities, and family schedules—fueling her passion for helping others bring more order and ease to everyday life.
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