How do I keep the clutter down in front of the door with 4 kids?
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If you don't have room to build anything, baskets make great 'clutter catchers.
Give them each a hook to hang coats and back packs.
Kids need an easy way to keep things neat. A large flat basket to toss their shoes in; hooks for coats, backpacks, etc.--either separate hooks or a strip of wood with hooks attached. Make sure the hooks are at kid level. Another option is to have 4 different baskets so each child can toss their individual things in their basket. You can either use a color for each child or put their name on the basket by letting them make their own name tag and attach it to their basket with ribbon or twine. You can also hang baskets by their handles on sturdy wall hooks and kids can put their shoes, gloves, etc. in those and then nothing is on the floor.
https://www.hometalk.com/categories/organizing/foyers/shoes
Is the clutter in the inside, or out side of the door? As the kids enter, the coats, or books is usually the first thing they drop from their arms. If you have a rack there, to place these items on, they can remove their jackets, and then pick up the books, and do homework. Remind them, DO NOT LEAVE TOYS in these places, for folks will trip and fall, and this is not nice for them to do. Eventually, they will learn this, and no problems.
The ideas given are all great. The hardest part is getting the kids to do it. I don't know how you handle your kids and I'm not trying to tell you what to do AT ALL, but when my kids were younger, they had their own baskets for toys. Toys not put in the basket were put in a hiding place that they couldn't find. Once a week, I would get it out and we'd decide what chores they would do to get the item back. That may or may not work for you or it might inspire something else that will work. My kids quickly learned to put their things in their basket. :) Wishing you the best.
When I was a little girl, we entered the house by the side door which was half way on the cellar stairs, my father put a hook for each one of us and painted our names on the wall over it. We HAD to hang our coats up on these hooks. This was the olden days and children had to obey, at least in my house.
Start by rewarding them with good storage behavior (routine) everything has place, if you use put it back, if you drop it, You pick it up, if you spill it- then you wipe it. If you take it from that room return back to that room. Shoes and coats are by far the worst but we over came it by me nagging to the closet or to your room with it. I hope this was of some help๐๐