Tips for Organizing Children’s Toys

Have you ever entered a giant toy store soon after it opened in the morning?

Notice how organized and neat it looks?

Try going back just before closing, after a busy shopping day.

Hah! Kind of resembles my house after celebrating Christmas. One thing the toy store has that I don’t is someone who gets paid for organizing kids’ toys.

Our kids have so many stuffed animals, drawing supplies, games and blocks, and other toys that our homes can look as bad as the toy store by the end of the day.

Just keeping up with our own mess can be difficult to keep everything put away.

Add the children’s toys into the mix and whammo! we’ve got to figure out the best way of organizing the those toys and minimize the clutter too!

Are you ready to get busy then? Let’s get all those toys organized.

The Best Advise for Kids Toys

The best advice I can give to busy parents of young kids is this – organize, organize, organize.

Teach kids to respect their toys and to care for them properly. It begins with organizing and keeping toys in their proper place when they are not being played with.

Use Common Sense when Organizing

Use common sense when determining what kind of toy storage units are age appropriate for the child. Obviously, if you don’t want your child climbing the walls, attach the lowest shelf too high for them to access.

Use caution though, and make sure the shelves are sturdy and attached securely so one doesn’t come off the wall and hit your child on the noggin if he jumps up and grabs it.

Make organizing toys part of your child’s training. You’ll have to nag a lot and remind the kids to pick up their toys and keep them off stairs and high traffic areas of your home. But it will be worth it in the end.

I’m picturing that familiar cartoon of the dad flying off his feet into mid air after stepping on a roller skate or some other loose toy. If this really happens, it’s not funny, but it’s also not funny to step on one of those hard plastic dinosaurs in your bare feet!

Designate a Playroom

If your home is large enough, designate a playroom for small children where they will have space to keep the toys confined and not spread through the whole house. If they don’t have a playroom, then the bedroom will have to do.

Another thing to do if you want a play area close to you (say the living room) while they are smaller is to keep some toys in a foot stool or decorative chest.

Use Shelves

At any rate, keeping kids’ toys organized is a must! Washable shelving is a wonderful asset in organizing toys. Six or eight shelves painted white and mounted on a wall adds a lot of valuable storage space and keeps the toys off the floor.

Use Storage Bins

Plastic storage bins are great for organizing toys, too. Most home improvement stores and departments carry a wide selection. Some even come in flashy primary colors that appeal to kids. The best ones are the bins that are either clear or translucent because you can see the contents.

Clear Zip Lock freezer bags are good for storing small pieces, beads, etc.

Shoe bags are good to keep toys in – you know the kind. They are fabric or clear vinyl and hang from a closet door. They are great for organizing beanbag toys, dolls and small stuffed animals.

Shoe boxes, oatmeal boxes, Tupperware and plastic containers, washed cottage cheese containers, all make good storage containers for crayons, small action toys, tiny plastic animals, marbles, etc. Use an indelible marker to identify the toys to be kept inside.

You can also buy pressure sensitive labels that you can write on and stick on the container. After filling and labeling, place them inside one of the larger storage units.

Organize Toys by Category

There may be dolls, action figures, musical toys, toy tools, building blocks, electronic toys, games, books, etc.

Board games and games that come with their own box needed for playing can be stored under a bed or on the floor in the closet.

Donate Toys your Children No Longer Play With

As you go through your children’s toys, put the toys your children no longer play with aside to be donated to a charity or sold at a garage sale. Throw away broken toys immediately.

I wish you much better luck with organizing your kids toys than I had.

They are older now, still have their toys (of sorts) and still find it hard to keep it organized.