Toys come in all shapes and sizes. There are round toys and square toys, toys with wheels, baby dolls, and tiny toys. Trying to corral the chaos in a child’s room can be a challenge. Instead of “just shutting the door” set up a simple system. But don’t stop there. Once the system is in place, teach kids how to use the system and then feel free to leave the door open.
Organization does not come natural to me, but the following tips keep the bedrooms and living areas clutter-free.
Toy Rotation
Take half the toys out of the picture and suddenly everything becomes more manageable. While there are a few untouchables, most toys can be sent to the attic a couple months at a time without being missed. The bonus to using this method is that when the toys come back for a visit, the kids are actually excited to play with them. This is also a good way to begin the elimination process.
Divide and Conquer
Separate the toys into small, manageable groups. My daughter was a born organizer and in a way, taught me how to do this. All her little people went into an empty baby wipe container, the horses lived in a shoe box and so on. In order to make her system more visually attractive, I purchased inexpensive containers until they all had a sturdy home. With that said, sturdy plastic coffee cans and the aforementioned baby wipe containers work just fine too.
Keep it Visible
Despite what my son thought, shoving all the toys into the closet is not the best cleaning method. Not only is it hard to find the toy you want, items get damaged before their time. A bookshelf is a great place to hold all the individual storage containers. If your containers are clear, you can slip a picture of the type of toy stored inside facing out, or an image can be taped to the outside. Game instructions, or the puzzle image can be taped to the inside lid for handy reference.
Books in Bins
If you are using the bookshelf for toys, then where do books go? Bookshelves are really not the ideal location for a preschooler’s books. If you place a few favorites, or the selection for the week, in an open bin, they will be easier to access and will eliminate the urge that sometimes overtakes toddlers to throw all the books off the shelf!
Toy Box Solution
A close friend of the family built a gorgeous wooden toy chest when my daughter was born. The key to using a toy box is to designate its use to one particular toy. Currently the toy box holds a prime spot in my living room and holds all the baby dolls. Over the years though it has been used as a toy truck carrier, a home for stuffed animals and for a brief time it held reference books and homework, but that never felt right.
Enforcing the system is not impossible, nor does it have to result in tears or tantrums. You are the CEO of your home. If putting toys away before bed is “policy” than so be it. If you want to micro-manage a little and make it the rule that they have to put one toy away before they take out another, than that is how it will be. One more tip, make your life easier by not bending the rules when they complain.