Week three of our Spring Organising Series already! How are you getting on? Let us know in the comment section!
This week, we are looking at how you can get a grip on the toys that seem to be growing as fast as the kids are!
So here are my top tips for organising toy clutter and toy rooms. And as you’re reading, enjoy the before and after shots of a room that Organised Chaos loved organising. Our brief was to transform a disorganised toy room into a room that they could turn into a bedroom but that would still home all the toys!
SEPARATING:
Don’t get bogged down separating out every single toy, and matching every toy piece together. You don’t have the time for it and it will NEVER remain that way. If you want your kids to put their toys away into an organised system you have to make it as straightforward as possible for them.
So if we take LEGO as an example.
You can have LEGO castle, LEGO airport, LEGO shop – everything! If you have the original packaging for each toy, then you could separate out the LEGO according to each toy. However, if packaging is long gone and the LEGO is all over the place, just put it all together in some storage. That way when you ask the kids to put the LEGO away, they just put it all in together and the job is done.
If you like, you could streamline it a little bit further and keep blocks together, streets together, figures together and vehicles together etc. This depends on what you want to do with the toys, their storage and whether or not you have the time or not!
LABELLING:
Once you have organised the toys as you would like them, it is essential that the storage you are using for the toys are marked with a label.
Labels can be written but I find with toys a photo label is best. They are nicer looking on your storage as they’re as bright and colourful as the toys themselves. Also, children, especially those who have not learnt how to read yet, can see much quicker exactly where each toy is supposed to go.
So take nice photos of a LEGO block, or a figurine or a colouring pencil etc. Affix the photo onto the front of the storage bin you are using.
- Toy Room Shelving BEFORE
Toy Room BEFORE
ARRANGING LAYOUT:
To further encourage children to help with the toy tidy up, keep the toys they use most often down low in the toy room. If toys aren’t accessible it will be difficult for them to get at the toys to play with and it will not encourage them to put the toys away after.
STORAGE:
Personally I think the best storage for toys is clear storage – be that baskets, boxes or buckets. The kids will be clearly able to see what’s inside.
However, there are loads of different types of storage bins out there and you could be really creative and colourful in your selection. Pop over to my Pinterest page for loads of inspiration for toy storage.
Remember when you are buying storage to measure where you are going to put it beforehand so that you get storage that fits.
Toy Room Shelving AFTER
Toy Room AFTER
Maintaining the Organisation:
Just like their bedtime or bathtime routine, children can learn that whatever they take out, they must put back.
Think about establishing a tidy-up routine. Perhaps it will be five minutes before dinner. Or perhaps it could be incorporated into their evening routine – dinner, clear up, bath, bed.
Make sure that you choose a time when the children are not too tired. And pick a good time so that tidy-up can be done at the same time every day. They will soon get into a habit of clearing up their toys if they have to do it at the same time every day.
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Toys that are disorganised can be quite visually overwhelming in a home. Taking the time to sort them out, regularly de-clutter, and tidy up daily will not only help your stress, but it’ll give you the freedom and time to get down on the floor and play along with them too!
What do you find most difficult about keeping your children’s toys organised? Is it having to sort it all out yourself? Lack of time? Too much stuff? Let us know in the comments below!
Happy Organising!
Sarah
