You all know my love or organizing. I've talked at length about keeping my house toy free, how I organize craft supplies, tips and tricks to keeping toys organized, talked about challenges to overcome when organizing, what to do with kids clothes, and more. Since I am a natural organizer, you would think that by now, my kids have also turned into natural organizers and perfect little people who always know how to keep their toys picked up and off the floor. Ha, if only!
Despite my best efforts, my little people are natural mess makers. If they had it their way, we would be buried in a sea of legos, barbies, coloring supplies, dinosaurs, and constantly stepping on all the things. Fortunately though, thanks to several functional storage systems in place, this is not our reality.
I have found several things that help immensely when it comes to keeping all my children toys, treasures, and things neatly organized at the end of the day. I am confident that if I can maintain a level of organization in my home with my 4 mess makers, so can you. Here are some of my best tips and tricks when it comes to keeping all the things in order around the house.
Contain it
Toys need to have specific homes. Even if you don't have a lot of extra space or a playroom, you need to set aside a specific area in your house where the majority of toys will live. Kids have got to know exactly where their things will live so that they can find them and later, put them away. They will also be more likely to play in these toy areas and not all over the house.Baskets and bins are your best friend when trying to organize all the toys. Use them whenever possible. A large basket of books in the living room is way better than a pile of books in the corner. Try not to use containers with lids, as kids usually don't close them. Leaving container lidless helps make cleanup so much faster! Remember, when it comes to containing toys, simple is always better.
Use concealed storage wherever you can. Put bigger toys out of sight in the closet, behind the sofa, or in a big basket. Do you have a cabinet in your living room where some toys can live? How about a dresser drawer, bookcase shelf, or an ottoman?
When buying baskets and bins, try to buy things that aren't intended for kids. You want bins that are not the red and yellow plastic containers that you usually find in the kid aisle. Instead, use woven baskets, striped bins, and white containers that match your normal decor. You can even use actual pieces of furniture - bookcases, dressers, and ottomans.
Edit
Just as everyday organizing starts with removing unnecessary items, children's toys are no different. These need constant editing and removing. I've found that children do so much better with fewer toys instead of a closet busting at the seams with a million different options.A year ago, I tried a experiment. I removed all my children's toys from their room, only putting back the things that I knew they played with on a regular basis. I then allowed my kids to pick 2-3 groups of toys each to put back in their room. Example of this would be a box of dinosaurs, the barbie box, several stuffed animals, etc. The toys that were unchosen, went to live in my closet out of the way. The closet toys come back out if someone asks for a specific toy or if I think they need something new to play with.
I thought that they would complain about having fewer toys but the opposite actually happened! They were thrilled about having so much more room to play and fewer toys to clean up. My kids will even ask me to put some of their toys away in "mommy's closet for a toy vacation". Less toys = faster cleaning and putting away! They also play so much better with fewer toys to chose from!
Here are some tips for you to do this with your kids toys -
- Read Simplicity Parenting
- Throw away any broken toys and books
- Remove toys that don't get played with. Remember, you can always bring them back!
- Remove toys that are too little for them. Can you put these away for a younger child?
- Get your kids involved. Make it exciting for them and tell them the benefits of having less toys in the space.
Don't get too Specific
When creating toy storage, simple is always best. Don't get too caught up in creating the perfect toy storage solution that has too many steps. If you want to organize legos by color or doll accessories by type, that if fine. However, my experience has told me that kids won't keep it that way.Instead of getting too specific, have broader categories by placing 1 type of toy in a container. Barbies in this box, dress up clothes on this hook, books on this shelf, stuffed animals in this basket. This will make it so much easier for your kids to remember where things go and it is simple enough that they can clean up their toys by themselves.
Have Clean Up Times
Incorporate cleaning up throughout your day - 10 mins to do a quick tidy before lunch or naptime , before dad gets home from work, and before bedtime. When finished playing, take 5 mins to clean up the mess before moving on to something new. Turn on some music and make cleaning up fun! Have a treat after the toys are put away. Cleaning up doesn't have to be a dreaded chore, find ways to liven it up.
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