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Summer is a time of the year that most of us look forward to. Trips, time spent by the poolside, lemonade, and outdoor activities are all things we have to anticipate. Best of all is being able to spend time together as a family. But summer can carry a slight note of dread if you’re a busy parent. When you think about summer, you also remember that your kids are going to track mud into the house, throw their sporting supplies and outdoor toys everywhere, and constantly complain about being bored. Here are some organization tips that can help you stay sane!

• Make sure you have a runner in the mudroom or entry hall, and one you won’t mind getting dirty. If you have carpet in the entry hall, this is a must. Even if you have tile or hardwood, you certainly don’t want to be cleaning it every day. Put down a runner you can clean every once in a while instead to collect all the dirt from your kids’ shoes. The runner will also slow them down, acting as a sort of speed bump.

• Put a set of large plastic storage containers in the mudroom for your children’s outdoor toys and sports equipment. This will prevent clutter on the shelves, or worse, on the floor. Plastic bins are easy to clean and will not rot if they get wet. They will also keep wet equipment from spreading damp and mud onto other surfaces.

• Considering using colorful plastic bins. Young children especially are drawn to bright colors, and may easily identify with their favorite colors. One easy way to communicate with them is to do so using a color scheme. Let your children pick plastic storage bins in their favorite colors. This will make it more likely that your kids will use the bins you provide them with, and it will also prevent them from mixing their possessions together and squabbling over them.

• Take fragile items off of low shelves and relocate them for the summer. Children love to tear around the house during the summertime, and will often calm down during the rest of the year. Remove breakable objects (figurines, collectibles, and the like) from your bottom shelves. Place them on higher shelves, or better, box them away for the summer and take them back out when your kids go back to school.

Summertime can be a time of chaos, but if you take these simple steps to prepare, you can prevent a lot of damage, clean-up, and arguing. Make it easy for your kids to stay clean and organized by taking steps to prepare entry areas in your house, and remove breakable objects from lower shelves to protect them during the summer months. When you do this, you can look forward to summertime fun and shared time as a family without dreading all the hard work that often accompanies these crazy months between school years!