I know toy organization tips are somewhat limited in their usefulness because it greatly depends on how much living space you have, how many children you have, the ages of your children and how many toys you have. But I still think some ideas are fairly universal and can help steer you into some semblance of order. I’m using my 5 yr old Nathanael’s room as an example because it’s the worst toy to space ratio in my house and I just recently reorganized it. The only down side is that I didn’t get “before” pictures. Just picture toys and puzzles and books and stuff everywhere in a tiny room….
I started with the biggest headache in the room- the toy box. It’s huge and collected EVERYTHING. (including stickers)
Which sounds nice… until you want to find a specific toy. And once kids are out of the toddler-who-plays-with-anything stage, and old enough to want a specific toy, book, or puzzle, then you want them to be able to find what they’re looking for with minimum effort. So basically I had a few bins sitting outside the toy box- one for cars, one for trains, etc. and then everything else went in the toy box…. or perhaps it should have been called the “toy graveyard” where they got buried 6 feet deep.
My attack went something like this: Empty toy box. Throw away trash, irreparably damaged toys, etc. Make a “give away” pile of toys that we don’t use any more. Put away toys/pieces that went somewhere else. Set everything else out on the floor and sort.
Once the toy box was empty, I put the car and train bins in the toy box. It might seem weird or redundant, but it gives the toy box space a specific purpose and discourages the habit of tossing random things in it. Plus, when he wants to get the cars out, he can lift the whole bin out and put the whole thing away.
Next, I sorted the remaining toys into my new (to me) handy-dandy bin shelf. I bought it on my handy-dandy super-duper Facebook Buy, Sell, Trade site. These things sell like hotcakes on these sites- just proof of how wonderful they are. Each bin contains one type of toy- one for balls, one for tractors, one for train-themed extras, etc. The top bin is the only exception- it’s the “junk drawer”. The few toys that don’t have another home go in here and the boy and I can use it to toss things in if we’re in a hurry. If it gets full, it will only take a few minutes to sort stuff back into place.
If their toys all have a home, and they know where that home is, then kids are more willing and able to put their own stuff away. It also makes sure that the toys they want to play with are easy to find and ready to be played with. This makes for better days for Mommy and Littles.
There’s not much of a story to go with it, but here’s a picture of his little closet- equipped with…. surprise!! Dollar store baskets! One for socks, one for shoes/slippers…. You get the idea. 🙂
Five Slices of Home 