If your house is anything like mine then you know that having children equals having lots of toys which can also mean big messes, and anyone who knows kids also knows that they love to play but hate putting things away. If you’ve been wanting to come up with a better storage solution for all of your kids’ toys books and other playtime items, then this is the post for you! I have come across some really creative, simple and beautiful ways to organize toys so that everything has a place yet is also easily accessible to play with at all times.
Cube & Bin Storage
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Cube and bin storage is by far the most popular option these days. What I love about thisn type of storage is that it is simple, clean and functional. It makes for easy clean up and you can change the look of a room just by switching up the baskets, bins or boxs. Fun colorful boxes and bins as well as labels help kids know where things belong. Organizing a space so that it’s really functional is key! A bench with storage underneath is perfect because there is room for all different kinds of toys, and it’s also part of a larger piece that can be used for reading, relaxing and visiting. If you don’t have enough space set aside in your home for only organizing toys, then no worries! Storing toys in a shared environment, like a family room can be clean, attractive and not distract from the overall design and feel of the room if it’s done the right way.
Locker Storage
Locker storage is another fun option that helps to keep the clutter off the floor. These two options resemble the the cube/bin storage above but give a more casual, modern and stylized look to a room. It also seems that the metal drawers and doors would be able to withstand lots of abuse with frequent use, which is an advantage over some of the box, bin and basket options. Ultimately however, I think it comes down to the look you are going for.
Lego Storage
We’ve talked about some awesome interactive Lego walls for kids, but what about storage for all of those tiny pieces? It’s fascinating to see kids build incredibly detailed characters, cars, ships and cities from these colorful little blocks, however as many of us know, those Legos are itty-bitty and there are a lot of them; resulting in huge messes, fast. If you’re able to take the time and have your kids help keep these below organizing systems up, I love the idea of separating Lego pieces by color or category. It makes them way easier to find when it’s time to construct creations and actually pretty quick to clean up too.
Stuffed Animal Storage
Not all kids are big into stuffed animals but those who are know that even just a few furry friends can take over a room really quickly, and storing them on top of the bed isn’t always the most convenient or attractive option. Below are some fun, unique ways to store and display all of your kids favorite friends, without having to hide them away. The other great thing is that they can also act as additional decor to your kids’ space and makes it easy for even the smallest child to help pick up when it’s time.
Book Storage
My girls love to read and our bookshelves are filling up fast. Traditional shelves are a great way to store a lot of books but often make it difficult for kids to find their favorites. What I love about the below options, are that they display the books in a way that makes it easy for children to see what they have, again, makes cleanup effortless and even adds fun pops of color to the room.
6 Steps for Organizing Your Kids’ Toys
- Remove: Go through your kids toys about every three months and find anything that is broken, torn, ripped or damaged beyond repair and throw it out. Don’t hang on to things that your kids cannot use anymore.
- Sort: Sort the toys into two or three piles: Keep, Donate and/or Sell. Determine what toys your kids don’t play with any more either because they’ve outgrown them, don’t play with them or have too many of one thing. Once you do that you can decide to hold a garage sell and use the money for new toys and activities, or you can donate them to a local preschool, daycare, charity or pass them down to other family and friends.
- Organize: Once you have determined what you are going to keep, organize the toys into categories and/or piles.
- Store: Once you have your categories/piles then you can determine what kind of storage solution will work best for you and the space in you have in your home, as well as how many bins, boxes, shelves, dividers, etc. that you will need.
- Shop: Go shopping for shelves, bins, labels, crates, baskets or anything else you will need to store and organize the toys. Tip: Do your kids still have tons of toys even after sorting, selling, donating and organizing? If so try rotating toys throughout the year by putting things away for a few weeks or months and then getting them out again and putting other things away. Not only does this help with clutter in your child’s play space, but it also keeps play exciting as old things become new again since they haven’t played with them in a long time.
- Label: Label everything you possibly can with either words or pictures or both. This not only helps kids to know where things go when it’s time to clean up, but it also let’s them see what options they have when it’s time to play!
Sorting your toys, books and stuffed animals can be a fun family project. If you have room for a playroom, involve your kids by letting them help pick out the paint colors, furniture, bins, etc. Make a game out of organizing, matching and grouping all of the toys. Talk about how happy other children will be to receive the toys that they sell or donate and let them be involved in selling the toys and take them with you to drop them off at the donation location.
Organization is hard work at first but once you are done you feel like a weight is lifted off your shoulders. Your space stays cleaner longer, your kids are less likely to whine when it is time to clean up since they know where everything goes and finally they often will play more independently because it is easier for them to find things to play with instead of having to sort through a huge toy box or messy playroom to find everything. Creating an organized, functional and fun place for your kids to play not only is exciting for them but makes maintenance much easier for you as well. Remember: Remove, Sort, Organize, Store, Shop and Label. Follow these six steps and you will be organized and clutter free in no time!
