The best way to organize your child's desk

My almost 5 year old loves arts and crafts - drawing, coloring, construction paper, glue sticks, googly eyes, beads - you name it, he has it. Dollar Tree is our best friend for those items ;-) 

But having all this stuff comes at a price. I always strive to keep my workspace clean and clutter free, and my son's desk drives me crazy. He can never find his scissors, glue stick, or eraser when he needs it. And he likes cutting out his artwork and taping it onto the walls. I love that he likes to display his artwork proudly, but it further adds to the disarray of his desk.

I was wandering around IKEA yesterday and came across an amazing find. The SKADIS pegboard series.

Image credit: IKEA.com

I had been looking for a pegboard to help organize his desk vertically, and this was exactly what I needed. I got the largest size (30x22) for $34, and a series of accessories that cost $1-3 each.

After getting home, I got right to work. Here's what his desk looked like before... 

First I took everything down and cleaned up. I kept his best artwork and set it aside for another project, and secretly trashed the rest. He didn't even notice (whew).  

Installing the pegboard was quite easy. I just needed a screwdriver and level, and it was up within 10 minutes. 20 minutes later, the whole set up was complete and I couldn't be happier! My son came home from school and was thrilled with the new set up. Having everything displayed like this encouraged him to keep it organized and he was able to easily put everything back into its place. 

Organizing desks vertically makes so much sense and IKEA's SKADIS series makes it possible to do that in an attractive way. The best part is, it's super easy to uninstall (and add to it), so we'll be bringing this to our next home with us!