Does your children’s ministry supply closet need some spring cleaning? Whether the school year is coming up or almost ending, you may have some work ahead. But where do you begin organizing a kidmin supply closet? Perhaps yours is messy, tiny, or non-existent!
We have you covered, with 20 spring cleaning tips inspired by children’s ministry closets from around the country. From giant rooms to tiny closets, and from permanent storage to mobile churches, find inspiration from these awesome supply closets. Even with a tight budget, you’ll be ready to organize your own supplies!
20 Spring Cleaning & Organizing Tips for a KidMin Supply Closet
Here are 20 awesome ideas to help you get (and stay) organized at church!
1. Use cabinets and shelves.
First up: If you find this photo inspiring, just wait until you hear how the space started out. While Abby Burg from Minneapolis has a beautiful, polished supply room now, it didn’t begin that way! Abby only wishes she took “before” pictures, because the room was “a disaster of a dumping zone” at first. She had to excavate layers of craft projects and supplies off the floor.
One thing that gives Abby’s room dimension and a clean feel is alternating tall cabinets with low shelves. The cabinets, with closed doors, help minimize the “cluttered” look. Meanwhile, the shelves with organized bins give visibility to common supplies. If your supply closet is a large room with a window like Abby’s, this also enables you to make the most of the space under the window without blocking light.
2. Decorate your supply closet with photos and posters.
If you have a large room, consider how you can make the space feel more home-y. Photos of kids and volunteers in your ministry, colorful posters, painted walls, and other décor go a long way in making a space feel inviting as volunteers look for supplies.
Want to go above and beyond? Then stock your room with a mini library of children’s ministry books for volunteers to borrow.
3. Hang hula hoops on a hook!
One item that’s hard to store neatly is hula hoops! These fun toys are an easy way to create separate floor spaces for kids. But they are large, unwieldy, and like to roll! Abby’s hula hoop hooks are a genius way to keep them neat and tidy! Here’s where you can get the hook and the straps that hold them together.
4. Use trays to sort construction paper.
We don’t know why construction paper doesn’t always come pre-sorted, but it sure is helpful to take the time to sort it! Paper trays like the one Emily Snider of Michigan uses make it easy to put like colors together. Then when you need to make paper fires, you can easily grab reds, oranges, and yellows!
5. Categorize your supply closet.
Emily has two closets and a resource room. Rather than just dump things randomly between the three spaces, she uses one as a teacher resource room, one as a supply closet just for VBS, and one as an outdoor games/camp supply closet. If you have multiple storage spaces, consider what categories make sense for you, and divide things strategically.
6. Label clear containers.
Next rely on clear containers. They let you see what’s inside your bins, and labels let you read what’s inside. This makes it easier to find what you need whether you’re visual or more verbal. Ellen Hermanson of Cedar Falls, Iowa, has mastered this organizational technique! She reports, “Someone who doesn’t normally lead groups said she was amazed how easy it was to go into the room and find what she needed.”
7. Use a rolling cart with storage so you can have a workspace and additional storage.
Ellen took a cubby station and raised it, adding wheels so it can easily move if they need more floor space. The top is a handy workstation, but they can maximize storage by putting bins inside. Now that’s an efficient use of space!
8. Use extendable tables for additional workspace.
Not only is Ellen’s workspace portable, but it’s also extendable! The ends fold up and down so it doesn’t take up as much room. But it can offer more workspace, as needed.
9. Adjustable wire shelves maximize supply closet storage.
Adjustable wire shelves like the ones Ellen uses make it easy to raise and lower shelves. That way you can fit bigger bins by making shelves taller, without wasting space if you have lots of small bins to accommodate.
10. Provide a workstation with basic supplies.
Sarah Hurt of Virginia also has a workstation, but hers includes some basic, common use supplies such as a paper cutter, scissors, and hand sanitizer. Prepping supplies for Sunday school is so easy!
