The Busy Mom’s Guide to Decluttering Children’s Books

Children’s books can be one of the more difficult items to declutter in your home. The first reason being that you probably spent good money on them. The second reason is that these books could be ones you read over and over to your kids when they were little. If so, you may have sentimental attachments to them. The third reason is that if you have enough books the task of decluttering them can be overwhelming. Here’s how to simply and easily declutter children’s books so that only the books you actually read remain.

Create Piles and Sort the Books

You will want to create these 7 piles for the books as you sort. When you are done sorting put them back or put them in a place where you can deal with the pile as soon as possible.

Keep Pile

The keep pile is for any book that your child still enjoys reading on a fairly regular basis. This is also for any book that they might re-read. If the book does not fit this criteria, it cannot be put in this pile. When all the sorting is done these books go back into the bookcase or shelf in your home where you regularly store them. You can choose to sort them by author, color, size or whatever other criteria you choose. Just make sure it is a system your children can follow.

Move Pile

This pile is for any book that needs to be moved to another area of your home. If you have more than one child, you can often move books one child has outgrown to your other child or children. If you keep books in more than one area of your home, perhaps a book just is not in the right place and needs to be moved back to where it belongs.

Save Pile

Yes, it is okay to save books if you have the room. We have a bin of books in our garage that our children have outgrown. They are books we all loved and they are in good condition.  I think someday our children will enjoy looking at them or we could read them to future grandchildren if we have them. The criteria is high for these books. They must have been a family favorite, and timeless. We are not saving books from fad characters that will be out of popularity years from now. We also don’t save books that are falling apart with crayon all over them. 

Throw Away Pile

I am the last person who would ever throw out a book. Honestly though, if a book is in really poor condition, sometimes you just have to throw it out. This for any book that is torn, colored on, or has water damage. This is a book that is just not worth saving and it is really not in a condition to donate or sell. The only reason you would not put a book in this pile is if it is a family heirloom or out of print. 

Donate PIle

If you have a pile of books that your children have outgrown and you don’t want to keep, consider donating them. You can give them to a friend or family member that has younger children that might enjoy them. You could donate them to your local library or to your local charitable organization. Remember to only do this with books that are in good condition. Otherwise, you need to throw them out.

Sell Or Swap Pile

If you have the time you can also sell or swap your used books.  Selling or swapping books takes time and it is usually not a  huge moneymaker. You can sell books second hand online at Amazon or Ebay. You can take books to a local used book store for credits or money for future purchases. You can also swap books if you want to join a service such as Paperback Swap. Honestly, if you are looking to declutter quickly I would eliminate this pile and just donate the books

There you have it. A simple way to declutter your children’s books so that only the ones they are reading remain. It will allow your children to find the books they want faster and keep your home cleaner.

Do you have any suggestions for storing and decluttering books? Share them in the comments!

Do you need help decluttering more of your children’s belongings?

Check out these guides.

The Busy Mom’s Guide to Decluttering and Organizing Toys

How to Declutter Your Children’s Clothing