January , 2021

For many, January is the month parents tackle closet cleaning and sort through clothes for donation, or possibly resale. The biggest decision– to involve the kids, or not.

If they are small, then it’s a job best done alone. But if your children are older, they can help.

Mindy even asks her kids to do most of the work, making three piles: a giveaway pile, a “maybe” section for things that they might have outgrown or aren’t sure if they like, and a “keep” pile.

“I ignore the keep pile and do a swift look through the giveaway pile to make sure they didn’t just put all their church clothes in there,” she said. “Then we’re left with the “maybe” pile. I usually talk through that one with them. Somehow, it is always the smallest one, too.”

Rachel keeps a plastic laundry basket at the bottom of the closet.

“If they try something on and it doesn’t fit, they put it in the basket,” she said. “Once the basket is full, I send it on to cousins and friends. If it is monogrammed or otherwise special, I keep it in a box at top of closet with the thought I will one day have it made into a quilt.”