Are you fed up with the toys in your house? Scattered everywhere and cluttering every corner of your home… Do your kids even play with them anymore? I know how frustrating it can feel when your home looks like a toy store. But today, I’m gonna share with you 8 of my best tips for keeping your kid’s toys under control! When you follow and implement these toy organization tips, you will save time, cut back on housework, and teach your kids to be mindful of their belongings!
Here are 8 different ways to manage your toy problem once and for all!
TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER WITH A FREE PROJECT PLANNER!
#1 – start a toy rotation
If your children have so many toys and you seriously don’t know where to start, this will make the biggest difference!
In case you’re wondering what a toy rotation is, the basic definition means to switch out the toys that are available to your children so they only have access to a few at a time.
I struggled for a long time about whether or not we should rotate toys in our home.
I figured it wasn’t worth the time. (To be honest, I just didn’t want to deal with it.)
But 10 months later, I definitely wish I would have started a toy rotation years ago!
Since we’ve started rotating the toys in our home, I’ve noticed that my kid’s concentration has gone through the roof! They play for an extended period of time, compared to before when they were barely playing with their toys at all.
And it’s so much easier to tidy up because we only have a few toys to work with at once!
I’m not gonna lie – a toy rotation DOES take a little bit of time and energy when you’re first getting started. But it should only take you one day from start to finish. And once you’re done, you’ll seriously wonder how you ever lived without it.
Happy You, Happy Family has a great article full of everything you need to know for a successful toy rotation, including free printables.
Again, if you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of toys, I recommend rotating toys immediately!
#2 – ditch the large toy boxes + storage bins
We all want to motivate our young children to clean up, but tossing things in a large box or bin does nothing for organizational skills and mindfulness about their toys.
If you have a large basket or toy box, there’s probably one of two things that happen in your home:
- Either your kids avoid it like the plague
- Or they dump everything out all over the floor
If they can’t see what’s inside, children will most likely move on to the next visible toy.
So don’t use large toy boxes for the toys that they use daily!
Use those large boxes, bins, and baskets for bulky items, such as balls or jumbo blocks.
For the toys that they play with all the time, choose a storage solution that will enable your kids to see what’s available.
#3 – keep toys visible + accessible
When it comes to managing toys, shelves, and cube organizers are a better solution because they encourage you to naturally LIMIT the number of toys.
A cube organizer was the best investment I’ve ever made for the toy problem in our home. And at $40, it wasn’t even that much of an investment!
My kids have a clear view of everything that is available. This means I can easily tell which toys get neglected (which in turn, makes it easier to declutter toys that we no longer need).
Most cube organizers are the perfect height for younger kids. And the cubbies are just right for child-sized toys.
You can use fabric bins to keep similar toys together. And clear plastic storage boxes for smaller items, such as puzzles and games.
Other toy storage options include bookshelves, ladders, and shelves.
If you have an old TV stand in your garage that is too small for today’s current TV sizes, repurpose it into a storage solution for toys in your kid’s bedrooms!
You can also use horizontal shoe organizers like this one from Target for $13.
#4 – practice a daily reset
If the toys are literally taking over your home, you need a Daily Reset.
There are many different ways you can implement a daily cleanup routine But if you’re just getting started, I recommend once a day, preferably at the end of the night.
And get your kids involved! All children, aged 2 and older are fully capable of learning independent responsibility and pride in their living space.
It won’t happen overnight, but encouraging your kids to clean up their toys every evening will definitely help foster long-term organizational skills.
How to Follow a Daily Reset:
#1 – Tell your kids it’s time to clean up
Be fun and lively. Make it something that your kids are excited about!
Clap your hands, sing a silly song, whatever you need to in order to get their attention.
#2 – Set a timer for 10-15 minutes (whatever you feel comfortable with).
And then encourage your kids to help you pick up all of the toys and put everything back where it belongs.
Remember, this is a tidying routine, not a cleaning routine. So don’t focus on actual cleaning – just pick up the toys (and other items) that are left out on the floor and flat surfaces.
#3 – Go into the room with your child and have them help you put everything back where it belongs.
It will only take 10-15 minutes a day, but the results will be ten-fold by the end of the week!
#4 – Keep it simple and age-appropriate
You want your daily cleanup sessions to be fun and exciting so your children will want to actively participate from a young age.
If tidying their toys becomes more of a chore, they will grow to resent it and eventually, avoid it altogether.
Don’t worry if you miss a day a few times a week!
Just practice the Daily Reset as often as you can.
If you need help getting into the habit, try setting an alarm on your phone.
Alternatively, you can keep a small basket outside your child’s bedroom door.
As the day progresses and you pick things up that belong in their room, add it to the basket.
And if you have more than one story, stair baskets will work just as well!
Related Post: Quick and Easy Outdoor Toy Storage
#5 – organize toys once a week
In our home, every Friday is “Tidy Up Day”. And a good portion of my time tidying is spent on toys.
I make sure all the food is in the play kitchen, the trains are on the train table, the pups are in the “Paw Patrol Corner” and the right Little People are in their prospective vehicles.
My 4-year-old son has a tendency to dump small, random toys into buckets. So at the end of the week, I take about 30 minutes to put everything back where it belongs.
When I don’t organize their toys properly, I notice they get bored more quickly because they can’t find what they need!
Children are much more likely to play with their toys if they can find exactly what they’re looking for.
If you’re already strapped for time, spending half an hour every week just to organize toys may seem a little excessive, but it’s another great way to encourage tidiness and organizational skills in your kids.
As with most things with children, it won’t happen right away. But eventually, they will get the hang of it.
And if it means your kids will play independently more often, isn’t it worth it?
GRAB YOUR FREE HOME PROJECT PLANNER!
Use the project planner to keep track of all these toy organizing tips!
#6 – give every toy a designated home
Over the last few years, there have been numerous studies involving the link between clutter and anxiety. And the KonMari fad has only increased this awareness for most adults.
If clutter has a negative impact on OUR well being, then isn’t it just as likely that it will impact our kids?
Maria Montessori believed that young children can find their toys and clean up on their own, but not if everything is scattered everywhere, with no designated home to go back to.
If every toy has a designated home, it will be much easier to keep your children’s toys organized.
While it may seem tempting to quickly throw all of your child’s toys in bins, boxes, or baskets, it will only make your toy problem worse in the long run.
When toys have a specific home, your kids will always be able to immediately find what they need.
And they will always know where everything goes. Which will eventually help them understand the value of tidiness.
To Give Everything a Home:
- Start by purging any toys your kids no longer need or play with.
- Next, categorize similar items together. Toys such as musical instruments and superhero toys do best when they are kept together. (Common categories include: pretending toys, educational toys, dress-up items, play food, etc.)
- Make sure to put smaller pieces back with their appropriate playsets.
- Once you have like items grouped together, choose a practical storage solution that will work best for your needs. (Plastic shoe boxes, small baskets, and fabric bins work great for categorizing toys.)
- After you have a designated home for your children’s toys, make a point to always put everything in the same place.
#7 – use age-appropriate labels
Once you have designated a specific place for all of the toys in your home, labels will help make sure your kids are able to properly put them away where they belong.
But make sure to use age-appropriate labels! Pictures are best for younger children. As your kids grow older, you can lean towards decorative labels.
Teaching Mama has a phenomenal downloadable PDF full of every toy category you could need.
Print them out on cardstock, run them through a laminator, and hang them with a pretty string.
Or you can design your very own labels in Microsoft Word or Google Docs and print them on adhesive Avery labels.
They come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Just find the matching template on their website and then you can print them right from your home computer.
Chalkboard labels are quick, easy, and inexpensive. And you can purchase them almost anywhere!
You can even label fabric bins or wicker baskets with adhesive bookplate labels from Martha Stewart.
#8 – declutter often
No matter how well you organize the toys in your home, you still need to make a point to purge often. Otherwise, they’ll end up cluttered again in no time.
With birthdays and holidays and trips to the dollar store, your kids probably get at least a few new toys every couple of months.
Keep in mind, if there’s no space for it in your home, it’s defined as clutter.
If your home has more toys than your children know what to do with, reducing the number of toys available will make a world of difference.
To Declutter Toys:
👉 Downsize larger sets.
If you have an only child, you probably don’t need a whole giant bag of building blocks.
👉 Donate toys as your children outgrow them.
Have a specific place for a donation box that everyone in your family can access. When you notice a toy is getting neglected because your child has outgrown it, put it in the donation box right away.
👉 Ask family members to give more meaningful items for birthdays and holidays.
Zoo memberships, classes, magazine subscriptions, or monthly subscription boxes, art supplies, and books, just to name a few.
👉 Discard any broken toys.
Resist the urge to hold onto a broken item with the intention of fixing it. You probably won’t get around to it before your child forgets about the toy anyway.
Being strategic about the number of toys that come into your home is an excellent way to stop your toy problem from getting out of control.
But you should still declutter your child’s toys often.
Aim to purge about 2-3 times a year – during spring cleaning, as well as before birthdays and holidays.
Questions to Ask When Decluttering Toys:
- Is this toy looked for when it’s missing?
- Does this toy add to my child’s life in a positive way?
- Is it played with on a frequent basis?
If you haven’t answered yes to one of those three questions, add the toy to your donation box.
Related Post: How to Organize School Supplies at Home
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Toys can be a huge pain point in the butt! We can’t live with them, but we can’t live without them! 🤷♀️
So don’t let the toys take over your house; make a point to get it under control!
#1 – Start by reducing the number of toys in your home.
Purge toys your kids no longer need.
Then check out Happy You, Happy Family for tips on starting a toy rotation.
#2 – Once the toys have reached a manageable limit, choose a practical storage solution that will work for your space.
Avoid using large bins or baskets.
#3 – Then, add labels so you can get in the habit of putting each toy back where it belongs.
Now get started organizing your kid’s toys! You’ll be so glad you did!
Don’t forget to grab the free declutter checklist! 👇
Related Posts:
How to Organize School Supplies at Home
Quick and Easy Outdoor Toy Storage
20 of the Most Inspiring Family Command Centers
Wondering How to Get Organized? Do These 3 Things
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