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Last updated on March 28th, 2023 at 11:20 pm
Are you overwhelmed by toys? Perhaps they’re not getting put away, or maybe there’s no place for them to go. Whatever it is, it’s time to finally organize the kids’ toys!
Toys really are a dilemma, or an epidemic, in some homes. Kids accumulate so many toys from good-hearted, well-intentioned people that it’s really hard to get a handle on it.
Too many toys in your home can have you feeling overstimulated and overwhelmed.
There are too many homes that are shrines to toys. There are no adult spaces because the toys have taken over, and that’s not fair. You’re the one paying the mortgage, or the rent, so you deserve to have your own space!
Use these 6 steps to organize the kids’ toys for good.
Step 1: Decide if the kids will help make the decisions
I mean, they are the kids’ toys. Deciding if the kids will be involved in the decision-making process of toy organization can be based on their ages and personalities.
For babies and toddlers under 18 months, leave them out of it. Organize while they’re out of the house or in bed.
Older kids should be involved in the purging efforts. Why not use it as a time for teaching charity and generosity? Plus, you can find out what they’re actually interested in.
If the kids will have no part in this, do the next few steps when your kids are asleep or send them to grandma’s house for a few hours.
Step 2: Get it together
Bring all the toys to one location so you can really get a good grip on what you’ve got. Do it all at once as a sort of inventory. This way, you avoid overlooking those toys that really should get discarded.
Step 3: Declutter
Now that it’s all here, start decluttering. Get rid of the toys that are broken, don’t enhance development, or are no longer age-appropriate. For example, those little junkie toys from Chuckie Cheese usually get tossed when my daughter loses interest after one or two days. She never misses them.
Which toys should not make the cut?
- Junk toys (think Happy Meals, Chuckie Cheese, party prizes…you know, cheap plastic stuff)
- Broken toys
- Toys with missing parts or pieces
- Toys that are no longer age-appropriate (“baby” toys)
- Multiples of similar toys
Step 4: Sort
Now that you have the “keepers” you can sort them by similarity.
- Dramatic play (dress up, kitchen tools)
- Building toys
- Games, puzzles
- Arts, crafts
- Movement & motor skills
- Emotional play (dolls, dollhouses, stuffed toys)
- Books
Step 5: Organize
Place the sorted toys into a bin or basket (what I like to call “bedrooms”). It should be easy to spot which toys should go in it by either using a clear bin or they should be labeled. Limiting the size of each container limits the number of toys that can be kept at any given time, which is a good strategy if you want to keep the clutter under control.
Step 6: Give it a home
Find a place for each toy to live. It should be easily accessible for getting things out and cleaning up in the designated play area. I love using these clear Sterilite latch boxes
I recommend having only one or two areas in the home for toys. After all, it’s your house. You need grown-up spaces, not just kid spaces in your home.
If there isn’t enough space for all the toys in the designated play area, consider doing a toy rotation.
Organize the kids’ toys once and for all
So, are you ready to take back your home from the toy army? Here’s how to do it in a nutshell:
- Decide if the kids will help
- Get all the toys in one place
- Declutter
- Sort
- Organize
- Give the toys a home
Don’t let the toy clutter get out of control again! This post will tell you how you can get rid of toy clutter forever!
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